


Sheltering You

by mjme26



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-02-08 02:57:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 52,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12855246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mjme26/pseuds/mjme26
Summary: Therese Belivet, a 23 year old animal shelter manager, is content with her life being filled with wagging tails and friendly paws. Until a woman walks into her shelter and changes it all.





	1. A Long Time Coming

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fic and I don't really know the direction of it yet, but all the great fics I've read inspired me to write my own. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

At 23 years old, Therese Belivet prided herself in being the manager of her local humane society. With a deep-rooted passion for animals, as well as the knowledge that comes from being around them all her life, she could think of no better fit for her in the working world. She had started at the shelter when she was still in high school, and even at 16 years old, the previous manager could tell that Therese was passionate about her work with the animals.

A typical day for Therese was waking up at 6, getting ready for the day, and heading to the shelter, where she would sometimes stay overnight if a new, frightened animal had been dropped off that day. Therese could always recognize the fear and anxiety in newcomers to the shelter, and made it a part of her job to stay overnight with the animal in her office to help them acclimate to their new surroundings. All of the employees at the shelter loved Therese and her sweet, yet firm, nature. Therese had learned early on in her career that to be an advocate for animals, she would have to be resolute where the well-being of her animals were concerned.

Though the shelter had more than enough volunteers, Therese made sure that only the ones who truly cared about the animals (not just those there to play with dogs to write it down on the ‘volunteer experience’ section of their college resumes) were the ones to provide the most care for them. Additionally, all employees would shadow her for a week so that she could ensure they were there for the right reasons and not just a paycheck. Some considered her ridiculous for how much she cared about her job, but in the shelter world, it was well-known that nobody could do it better than Therese Belivet.

***********************************

“Wow, you’re just amazing to be doing this kind of work. It really takes someone special to work with these poor animals.”

As Therese tried to wave away her annoyance and muster some kind of thanks, the woman in front of her kept droning on about how sad and abandoned the animals must feel. While Therese understood that the people who said these things (which she heard numerous times a day) meant well, it was always frustrating to her that these same people didn’t typically volunteer, donate supplies, or adopt animals. Additionally, it angered her that everyone felt that the animals in the shelter needed so much pity. The animals were surrounded by love from volunteers and staff at the shelter, and were well exercised and taken care of. Yes, Therese didn’t love to see them locked in kennels, but she also knew that feeling pity for them wasn’t going to change their situations in any way.

As Therese feigned interest as the woman continued to share all her thoughts and opinions on shelter animals, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Being prone to flinching, Therese quickly pulled away and turned her head to find who the hand came from.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you or interrupt, but I wanted to ask you about this cat over here. The white Himalayan one. Oliver, I think is his name.”

Therese was momentarily lost for words. The voice directed at her was smooth as silk, and the body that matched it was simply gorgeous, topped with golden blonde shoulder length hair. Not one to typically be so flustered by such a simple interaction, Therese quickly reigned herself in.

“If you’ll excuse me just a moment ma’am,” she said to the woman who had nearly talked her ear off, “I’ll get right back with you if you’ll give me just a second to assist-”

“Oh, you’re fine,” the woman interrupted. “Don’t mind me, I know you have work to do.”

Therese politely smiled as she thought to herself, _yes, you definitely were concerned about all the work I had to do for the whole half hour that you were chatting me up about my poor, sad, lonely animals._

She turned to the beauty beside her and tried to play it cool. “So, you’re interested in Oliver, the white Himalayan?”

“No. Er, well, yes. But mostly, I wanted to relieve you of that woman who couldn’t seem to stop pestering you. I’m sure it gets old to you to hear that same ‘poor animals’ line over and over again.”

“Well,” Therese laughed lightly, her dimples showing, “Thank you for that. I’m not sure how much more of that I could’ve taken.” The blonde woman laughed, and her smile made Therese flush. Good God, what a perfect creature this woman was. She could feel herself staring, and made herself look away.

“So, about Oliver,” she tried to continue.

“Oh, yes,” the blonde cut her off “he’s beautiful, and such a friendly guy. My daughter and I just moved here a few weeks ago and I promised her we could get a cat once we got settled. I’ve got my eye on Mr. Oliver over there.”

“Well, he’s relatively new, he’s only been here for about a week and a half. But the Himalayan cats don’t tend to stay long, and we’ve had a lot of people express interest in him. You should probably fill out an application if you’re serious.”

“An application it is then,” chimed the gorgeous woman. “Rindy will be so excited about this.”

“I’m guessing Rindy is your daughter?” Therese said as she guided the woman to the front desk to fill out application papers.

“Yes, she just turned 6 and has been begging me for a cat since she turned 3, so this is a long time coming.”

“Ahhh, I see. Well she’s going to love Oliver, he’s a sweetheart”. Therese handed the woman the clipboard with the packet of papers. She watched her careful hand filling out the sheets in her flawless print with her shining red nail polish. It wasn’t often that Therese had naughty thoughts about a total stranger, but she let her mind wonder to how those beautiful hands would feel on her skin. As she felt a flush of heat rise up her face, she shifted her mind to other things to bring her hue back to normal.

As the woman handed her back the clipboard, she noticed her name: Carol Aird. Carol: Simple, graceful, and elegant, just like the woman standing before her. Therese recited the memorized line to Carol about how applications weren’t a guarantee for adoption and so forth, then asked if she had any questions.

“Yes, actually. I used to volunteer at an animal shelter before we moved, and I’ve been missing it. Do you allow volunteers at your shelter?” Therese couldn’t suppress her smile, she loved the way _your shelter_ sounded coming from Carol’s voice.

“We do actually, there’s a book on the table by the door with time slots, you’re welcome to sign up if you’d like. It’d be great to have a volunteer that has previous experience. The only thing is that our volunteers have to be 16, so your daughter wouldn’t be able to volunteer with you, Mrs. Aird. But she could always hang around the front desk with one of our staff members, or hang out in the office with me if I’m not busy.”

“Oh please,” the blonde said, “Call me Carol. Anyhow, that’d be great. I’ll sign up on the way out.”

As Carol’s eyes traced Therese’s figure from head to toe and back up again, Therese could feel her cheeks growing hot and red.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t ask, but what’s your name? You may have mentioned it before, but I must have miss-”

“Therese”, she interrupted.

Carol smiled, which again, made Therese flush. “Therese,” she said with a sly smile, rolling the name off of her tongue beautifully. “Well, Therese,” she said drawing her name out, “I suppose I’ll see you around. I look forward to hearing back about Oliver,” Carol said as she approached the table that the volunteer book laid on.

Another staff member, Dannie, approached Therese. “Hey, T. I need you to check on Big John, he’s walking funny again”. As Therese was pulled away to her work, still in a daze, she managed to squeak out a simple, “Take care”.

Watching her carefully, Carol smiled back at her, and winked before she turned to the door.


	2. Feeling Nervous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read my last chapter! It was so inspiring to read all of your wonderful comments! It is really so encouraging to read such nice sentiments, and they definitely made me want to write more. 
> 
> Just a heads up, for right now, I'm relatively free, so should be posting new chapters regularly. BUT I'm a Master's student with final exams coming up in a week and a half, so you know the drill.
> 
> Thanks for reading, guys!

“Damnit, Big John,” Therese whispered under her breath, “What absolutely perfect timing you have.” She and Dannie walked swiftly alongside each other, making their way to Big John. The lovable boxer had been left at the front door of the shelter with a bone fracture in his right front leg 5 months ago. While the fracture had healed properly, and John had gotten the care he needed, he occasionally limped, which in the beginning, concerned Therese. However, over time, she began to suspect that John had come to understand that when he limped, Therese would rush to his side to make sure he was okay.

“Yeah, nice eye-blazing, Therese. Very discreet,” chided Dannie with a silly grin on his face.

Therese felt herself turning red. “Oh, shut up. She’s pretty is all.”

“Yeah, pretty freaking hot Therese, I’m not blind.” Therese rolled her eyes as she reached Big John’s cage.

“Okay, buddy, what’s your deal? What was so important that I just had to come back here?” Therese said playfully as she stepped into Big John’s cage. John’s tail wagged incessantly as his favorite caretaker stepped into his cage. At this point, John had perfected his routine so much so that when Therese knelt beside him to have a look at his leg, he immediately lifted his paw for her to look at. After gently applying pressure up and down his leg, Therese suspected that she had been had by John yet again.

“How about we go for a walk, John?” Therese asked the Boxer, to which he let out a loud bark, and began pacing the kennel. Noticeably, John did not have a limp in his walk at this point. “You big oaf, I want to be mad at you, but you’re just too damn cute.”

***************

After John’s walk, and Dannie and Therese’s orchestrated dinner routines (with Dannie feeding the dogs and Therese the cats today), the other staff members began to get the dogs and cats ready for the night by laying down blankets, topping off water buckets, and the like. Therese loved this time of day because the steady barking would die down, and the meowing would turn into light kitty snores. But mostly, Therese loved it because she finally had a minute to breathe and process the events of the day without the worrying over customers.

Therese looked down at her desk to review the pile of applications that she had gotten through the course of the day. Applications were serious to Therese and she made sure to go through them methodically.

“Therese, if you focus any harder, I’m afraid your head might explode,” Dannie said laughing lightly while leaning into the door frame of Therese’s office. Therese smiled and rolled her eyes. She looked up from the papers to the clock to see that it was already past 8 at night. She had been going through applications for nearly 3 hours.

“God, Dannie, if you wouldn’t have come in here I may have sat here all night. You know how I get with these applications.”

“Yeah, ridiculous,” they both laughed. “So, where’s your lady’s application? Did you get her phone number from it yet?” Dannie’s mischievous smile let Therese know that he was teasing her about her obvious attraction for the gorgeous woman that she’d seen earlier today.

“Shut the hell up and go home already,” Therese laughed as she shooed Dannie away.

“Say no more, Belivet. See you tomorrow!” Dannie left wearing his handsome smile that always made Therese grin.

She waited until she heard the door close and the sound of Dannie’s old truck driving away, then she sifted through the remaining applications. When she found the one she wanted, she did exactly what Dannie had teased her about and copied down a phone number on a spare sheet of paper. She knew who her first call of the day would be tomorrow.

***************

Carol was sitting in on one of her employee’s presentations about organizational structure. As the owner and founder of a well-known organizational development consulting firm, she was regarded as an icon in the consulting world. As the presenter stammered on, she smiled to herself. She had worried that by moving to open a new branch of the company, she would lose her reputation in the process, but it was apparent that everyone here knew what it meant to have Carol Aird as a boss. She knew the effect she had on others, how nervous she made them, and in some weird way, she enjoyed this.

Her assistant, Jeanette, slipped silently into the conference room and laid a post-it note down in front of her. ‘Call from animal shelter,’ was written in Jeanette’s swirly script. Carol couldn’t stop herself from smiling, as she got up and left the presentation to take the call. She didn’t even pause for a moment to consider how this may look to everyone in the room, especially the already nervous presenter.

“Hello,” she said with the same air of confidence she was accustomed to using.

“Hi, Mrs. Aird? Or sorry, Carol, rather?”

Carol laughed at how nervous the sweet voice on the other end sounded. She could have made this easier for Therese by saying more, but instead, she simply said, “Yes?”

“Hi, it’s Therese. From the shelter. I wanted to let you know that you’ve been approved to adopt Oliver.”

“That’s wonderful,” Carol said in an elated voice. “When can Rindy and I pick him up?”

As they discussed the details of Oliver’s coming home with Carol and Rindy, Carol couldn’t ignore the effect the younger woman’s voice had on her. She found herself laughing easier, smiling at practically nothing, and grinning especially hard when she pictured the dimples that she could imagine going along with Therese’s occasional laughter.

When Carol got in her car that evening to head to the shelter, after picking Rindy up from school, her heart lifted at the thought of seeing Therese and she felt a strange sense of nervousness that she was not accustomed to.

***************

“Hi, I’m here to pick someone up,” Carol smiled as she spoke to Therese at the front desk, with Rindy holding her hand.

Therese’s face turned bright red at how close she’d come to saying, _yes, you can pick me up anytime you’d like_. “Oh, yes, Oliver,” she laughed as she tried to hide her embarrassment. Therese noticed the spitting image of Carol standing shyly beside her.

“Are you ready to meet your new kitty?”, she asked the girl. Rindy shyly replied with a soft “yes” and Therese led the way to Oliver’s kennel.

“Alright fluffy guy, time for you to head to your new home,” she said as she lifted Oliver out of the kennel and slowly got him into the carrier that Carol had brought. “Before you take him home, I’d like to spend a few minutes with you guys in one of the private rooms so that we can take him out and let Rindy meet him while you and I go over everything,” she said to Carol. On her way to the room, she turned red for the millionth time in Carol’s presence at how ridiculous it was that she said she wanted to spend a few minutes with Carol in a private room.

As Therese talked with Carol about her new addition, and Rindy played with the cat that had already taken to her, she was suddenly interrupted by Carol.

“Therese, you have beautiful eyes,” Carol said brazenly.

Therese immediately stopped and stared in wonder at the woman in front of her who had so easily complimented her out of the blue without even thinking anything of it.

“Oh,” Therese replied, trying not to flounder on her words, “thank you. I-”

“Do I make you nervous, Therese?”, Carol asked her.

Therese took a minute to compose herself. The obvious answer was a resounding yes. Yes of course this gorgeous woman made Therese nervous. She could hardly form coherent thoughts in her presence. But Therese wasn’t stupid, she knew that Carol was flirting with her by calling her bluff. She was excited, but also confused about how this had seemingly come out of nowhere. She quickly made up her mind to say no, not wanting to give the woman the satisfaction she was seeking. Yet she couldn't bring herself to lie when it was so obvious.

“Yes,” Therese whispered. She made sure to hold eye contact with Carol. She would not look away from her.

“Well, Ms. Therese,” Therese shuddered from the way that her name looked being drawn out on Carol’s lips, “I guess that’s something we’ll have to work out when I come to volunteer next week.”

Therese wasn’t sure, but she could swear that she caught Carol winking at her right as Rindy began to pull on her mother’s arm to tell her about how much she loved her kitty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts, opinions, reactions, how your day was, anything you want :) 
> 
> Again, thanks for reading!


	3. Just a Crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all your kind comments, guys! It means so much to me to read them! 
> 
> I've been under the weather today, which allowed me to write a chapter that was a bit longer than the others.
> 
> Enjoy, and let me known your thoughts and opinions, and as always, thanks for reading!

After Carol had left, due to Rindy’s begging to take Oliver home so that she could play with him properly, Therese went back to her office and closed the door. She needed a minute to think, to gather her thoughts, to figure out what was going on. Therese had never felt attracted to a woman before, but it didn’t scare her. She knew that there was nothing wrong with the feelings she was having for Carol, but it surprised her nonetheless. She’d had one serious relationship with a man, Richard, that ended strangely after Therese found that it was relatively easy for her to be able to tell him that she just couldn’t see a future together. During her quiet moments, when Therese had time to think and reflect, she knew that she’d been with Richard because he was safe. Her feelings, being as minimal as they were, were not enough to overwhelm her, to hold her captive. But what she had begun to feel with Carol, although it was just the beginning, was something different entirely.

Since Therese’s father passed away (which happened when she was only 18 years old), leaving her on her own, she had desired nothing more than control of her life, and she’d worked hard to stay in control of it. From managing the shelter, to planning out nearly her every move at the start of each day (something that Dannie teased her over), she practiced a careful life. Her routines comforted her and gave her a sense of peace. But suddenly, she was experiencing the loss of control that she suspected came along with having serious feelings for somebody. No, Therese wasn’t in love, it was nothing like that. Or at least not yet. But she knew enough to be able to guess that this is what the beginning of love felt like.

Lost in her thoughts, and trying to pick apart these new feelings without making herself panic, Therese jumped, hearing the knock on the door and Dannie’s concerned voice coming behind it, saying, “Therese? Can I come in?”

***************

“What’s up, T? You walked back here like you were in a trance.” Dannie was obviously concerned about his friend, but his tone was light.

“Oh nothing, we were just …” Therese stopped midsentence, and thought carefully about how to proceed. Dannie was her best friend, she decided to let him in on what was going on. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Dannie was still staring at her. She smiled at how loyal and caring her friend was. “Dannie, I … Gosh, this is ridiculous, but I think … I have a crush on that woman. On Carol.” She watched Dannie carefully and saw his handsome grin spreading across his face. She was tempted to stop, feeling her face grow hot at her seemingly silly admission, but she pushed through her embarrassment. “And she was flirting with me, she was so flirting with me back there, Dannie!” Therese couldn’t hide her excitement with this last sentence.

Dannie shook his head, grin still in place. “Well, well, well, Belivet. It’s about time you got bitten by the love bug!” Therese could tell that Dannie was excited for her, and this made her smile and feel less ridiculous with herself.

“Oh Dannie, it’s not even anything like that. It’s just a crush, I think.”

“Yeah, _you think_ , Therese. You just wait. Little Therese, finally figuring out what all the buzz is about. Well I’m happy for you, T! So, what’s next? Whatcha gonna do about this fling?”

“What’s next? What do you even mean?” Therese asked Dannie with a confused look on her face.

“Good God, Therese. Tell me I don’t have to teach you everything,” he said with a sly smile. “Okay, so you gotta sweep this woman off her feet, you gotta make yourself irresistible. Here’s what you need to do …”

As Dannie talked on about his methods of wooing women, which Therese was paying no mind to seeing as how Dannie himself was single, she let herself bask in the feeling of happiness that came from, yes, at 23 years old, having her first ever serious crush.

***************

After Carol had tucked her daughter into bed that night, she looked down at her and smiled. She looked like the vision of perfection with her little eyes getting heavy, smiling at the soft cat that lay beside her pillow, who was already sleeping soundly.

“Mommy, why did somebody bring Oliver to the shelter?” her daughter asked in what Carol instantly recognized as a voice that was on the verge of sleep.

Carol brushed her daughter’s blonde hair out of her eyes, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “We’ll never know the answer to that, my darling. All that matters is that he’s here with us now.” Carol pulled the blankets further up her sweet girl’s chest and watched Rindy’s eyes slowly close.

Thinking that she was already asleep, Carol silently made her way to the door, but she was stopped by the sound of Rindy’s soft voice.

“Maybe we should invite Therese over to play with Oliver sometime. I think she’s going to miss him.”

Carol raised her eyebrows in surprise. She wasn’t aware that Rindy had even noticed Therese, much less remembered her name. Therese had interacted very minimally with Rindy, but seeing as how Rindy was shy and took time to warm up to people (she was always very bothered by the people that insisted on trying to get her to talk), Carol should have known that this would make Rindy admire her all the more.

“I’ll ask her about that, baby. Now close those sleepy eyes and get some sleep. I’m going to leave your door cracked in case Mr. Oliver decides he wants to adventure out.”

Rindy yawned and settled in to sleep. “Night, momma,” she whispered. Carol went down to the kitchen to tidy up, all the while not being able to keep her mind off of the green-eyed girl that she had made so nervous.

***************

 

After she dropped Rindy off at her new friend’s house. Carol headed to the shelter. Usually, she liked to spend Saturdays with her daughter, doing whatever Rindy pleased, but Rindy was so eager to have a friend to spend time with that Carol didn’t feel guilty about dropping her off.

Carol was careful about the times that she signed up to volunteer. She specifically chose the hours of 5-7 because the shelter closed at 5, which increased her chances of being able to spend one-on-one time with Therese without the interference of customers. Of course, other staff members would be present, but Carol wasn’t concerned about that. She wasn’t sure how such opposite feelings could develop within her, but she felt confident and nervous all at the same time. In her jittery state, she picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number.

“Well hello, Carol. So nice of you to call,” joked Abby, Carol’s best friend, as she answered on the second ring.

“Oh, cut the crap, Abby. Listen, I have a crush.” Carol could hear Abby’s laughter on the other end of the line. “Yes, yes, I know it’s funny, I'm a 35 year old woman, blah, blah, blah. But I’m going to see her and I’m nervous because-”

Abby abruptly stopped laughing and interrupted Carol. “Are you fucking kidding me? Carol Aird is nervous about a crush? You know what that means, Carol. This isn’t just a crush.”

“Okay, well thanks for pointing out the obvious, Abby. But whatever, we can talk about that part later. Just help a girl out, tell me a story, or anything to get my mind off of this,” Carol begged.

Abby was unfamiliar with this desperate Carol, confessing her nerves over what she claimed to be a ‘silly crush’. Part of Abby wanted to tease Carol relentlessly as payback for all the times Carol had given her crap over her own crushes, but she decided instead to oblige Carol and launched into a story about her latest lover.

***************

“Oh, Belivet,” Dannie yelled out in his goofy singing voice, returning from feeding the cats, just as she was finishing with the dogs.

“Yes, Dannie,” she said faking an air of annoyance.

“You know your lady’s due here in like 30 minutes. Did you wear your sexiest lingerie for her?” Dannie joked.

Even though Therese knew Dannie was merely teasing her, she felt her face going hot, not because of the teasing, but because of the thought of Carol seeing her so exposed. “Oh, shut it, would you?” Therese said as she nudged Dannie in his side with her elbow. “And would you quit calling her my lady? I barely know her. And Dannie, for your information, unlike you, I’m not willing to sleep with someone I’ve talked to for a grand total of maybe a whole hour.”

“Damn, T. Anything else you wanted to tell me?” he said, and Therese laughed. They both loved their joking, playful relationship and how they could tease each other for days on end, while still feeling the love and comfort with each other that true best friends do.

“But seriously, Dannie, please don’t embarrass me in front of her. I would hate to have to murder you in your sleep. Think of all the extra work I’d have to pick up around here,” she said with a silly smile.

“Okay, okay. I won’t embarrass you, Therese. But you owe me, you know how hard it’ll be for me to contain myself around Ms. Therese Belivet’s first ever _real_ crush.”

Therese rolled her eyes and they both heard the door open.

***************

Carol had allowed herself to be swept up in Abby’s story and felt her nerves melt away. However, as soon as she opened the door and saw Therese turn to her, she felt all her nervousness flood back into her.

“Therese, hi. I wasn’t sure you guys would have time to grab dinner, so I made some chicken salad last night and brought some croissants. But you don’t have to feel obligated to eat it, I won’t mind either way.” Carol suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. She began feeling ridiculous as she sat the spread on the top of the front desk.

But this feeling didn’t last long, as Dannie immediately started making himself a sandwich. “God, Therese, you know how to rope in all the good volunteers. Volunteer of the year, right here,” he said lifting his sandwich in Carol’s direction, to which she smiled.

Carol could sense Therese’s nervousness and watched her as she made her own sandwich. “Carol, this is really nice of you. Most days we barely have 5 minutes to eat lunch, so really, I appreciate it.” Carol smiled at Therese’s sentiment. It made her heart swell, feeling like she was in some small way taking care of Therese. She loved to take care of her lovers, and had already developed quite a soft spot for the sweet, dimpled woman in front of her.

As Therese finished her sandwich while Dannie (thankfully) chatted politely with Carol, Therese realized that she needed to give Carol the volunteer spiel. Dannie turned to Therese with a questioning look in his eyes, silently asking her if she was ready to tackle this on her own, and Therese shook her head.

“Say, Therese, why don’t you take Carol out back and show her all the dog yards and how to get in them. I’ll finish up with the cats while you do that.” Therese said a silent prayer to the universe, thanking whomever was out there for Dannie and how they could communicate with each other without words.

“Sure, good idea, Dannie. Carol, let’s grab a couple of leads to take the older dogs out.”

Carol smiled inwardly as she noticed that when it concerned the shelter, concerned something Therese had ample knowledge about, she became strong and confident. She could visibly see Therese’s nervousness falling away as she engaged in a task that was completely in her wheelhouse. And she had to admit, it was sexy as hell to see this woman coming into her own.

***************

Therese approached the cages of the two dogs she would take out with them to one of the play yards. The dogs were both over 10 years old and she’d lost count of how long they had been in the shelter. Therese always took the two out at the end of the day, or had a volunteer or other staff member do it, because she knew that these dogs would never leave. As sweet and wonderful as Evelyn and Rosco were, they were old, which, for whatever reason, deemed them as undesirable by those who came to the shelter for a dog. As Therese explained to Carol how long the dogs had been there and why she took them out each afternoon to play together, a chill ran down her spine. She could feel Carol looking through her, could sense the woman staring at her in a different way than she had before. But she held her ground, hung on to her dwindling confidence, and lead Carol and the dogs out to the play yard.

Once Rosco and Evelyn had been let off of their leads to roam around, Carol began to throw a tennis ball for Rosco. Evelyn preferred to sit by Therese, who was sitting on the ground with legs crossed. Evelyn's arthritis made it increasingly difficult for her to play fetch in the way Rosco could. With Carol dressed in cuffed jeans and a simple t-shirt, Therese let herself admire the strong arms that were lovingly playing with Rosco. She hadn’t realized how tall the woman was until they came out into the yard, and she started to feel small and insignificant compared to her.

As Rosco slowly walked to Therese to lay down beside her, deciding that it was time for a nap in the sun, Carol followed behind him. She sat beside Therese, her long legs bent in front of her, and placed her elbows on her knees, crossing her arms over each other. Both of the women were silent for a while, and Therese was not ashamed to let herself look at the woman beside her, whose features were being beautifully illuminated by the slowly setting sun, and the wind blowing the lose strands of hair that had fallen out of her pony-tail.

“Therese, what made you want to do this? I mean, doesn’t it hurt your heart that some of these dogs come here and never leave again?” Carol asked gently. These were questions that Therese was asked all the time. But they seemed less invasive coming from Carol.

“I mean, I could say that I love animals. I could say the same things that everyone else who does this says, which are true, actually. But really, I wanted to do this because there’s something comforting about being able to love something, and not have to question whether you’re loved in return. Take Evelyn and Rosco, for example. I know they’re never leaving here. And to answer your question, yes it hurts me. Of course, it does. But I know that they’re not bitter about it. Instead, they sleep all day like old dogs do, and when I come to get them to come out here, they’re the happiest dogs in the world. I love them, and they love me, even though they’re in this shitty situation. That’ll never change, and I’ll never have to wonder about it.”

Carol was silent for a moment, and Therese let the depth of her answer sit in between them. She wasn’t sure that she’d been this honest with someone before about her job and the animals around her. She knew that later, she’d feel that familiar fear of losing control when she thought back on this moment. But for now, she tried to stay present.

With Rosco laying between Therese and Carol, Carol turned to Therese. She looked at her, her intense eyes staring straight into the deepest parts of Therese, willing her to let all her secrets go. “What a strange girl you are.” Therese heard Carol saying.

Therese wasn’t put off by this statement, she wasn’t concerned or taken back. “Why?”, she said with a tone of curiosity behind her voice.

Carol shook her head lightly, not in a mocking way, but in a way that told Therese there was no other possible answer to her question. “Flung out of space,” Carol said in a quiet tone of voice.

Both women sat quietly, absorbed in their own separate thoughts, which inevitably revolved around the same theme. After some time had passed, Therese suggested that they should take the dogs back inside and put them to bed for the night.

***************

By 6:30, Therese had explained most everything to Carol, who knew most of it anyway, due to her previous shelter experience. Most of the animals were fast asleep, and only Therese, Dannie, and Carol remained at the shelter. All three were huddled around the front desk, chatting lightly and snacking on croissants and chicken salad. Carol could not help but to smile at the way Therese and Dannie interacted, teasing one another and being utterly silly. _God,_ thought Carol, _those dimples are going to be the undoing of me._

As Dannie said his goodbyes to the two women, Carol saw his wink directed at Therese when he thought that Carol wasn’t looking at him.

“While I'm thinking of it, let me get you a t-shirt out of my office,” Therese said. Carol looked at her with a confused look on her face. “Oh, we give all our volunteers a shirt with our logo on it. Just, you know, as a little thank you gift.”

As Therese rummaged around in her office for a shirt, she didn’t notice that Carol had followed behind her. Carol immediately noticed photographs hung on the wall, and a stack of photographs in a folder on the small table below. The pictures were full of color. Their subject: the dogs and cats of the shelter. But unlike the typical photos of shelter animals, you could see happiness in the way these animals looked. “My God, Therese. These are beautiful,” she said, while still staring at the pictures.

Therese jumped a bit. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice that you had come in behind me. Those are just some pictures of some of the animals we’ve had over the years, nothing special.”

“No, Therese. They are special. Really special. I mean …” Carol paused, momentarily lost for words. “Damn, Therese, these are really good. How’d you get them to look so happy?”

Therese thought carefully. She knew what she was about to say was poetic and dramatic, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Well, when an animal comes here, they’re always frightened, always angry. Sometimes in the beginning, they’re mean as hell. And that’s okay, I’d be mad too. But I wait to take the pictures until they start loving me too, until they start feeling happy when I come around, and that fear in them is gone. Remember what I told you earlier about not wondering if they love me in return? I always take these pictures when the animals are comfortable enough to let me know they love me in return.”

Carol cocked her head, looking at Therese with eyes that nearly melted the brown-headed girl. This was the second time that day that Carol had been surprised by Therese’s voluntary release of her own private thoughts. And it made Carol’s heart beat fast with her attraction for the green-eyed girl that was wise beyond her years.

As she stepped towards Therese, she smiled. Her hands hugging her elbows, Carol looked Therese down and back up again, and Therese’s shudder was visible to Carol this time. She noticed Therese begin to fidget with her hands, giving herself away.

With the smile never leaving Carol’s face, she began to speak. “So, tell me, Therese. Why is it that I make you so nervous?”


	4. Excellent Timing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had a REALLY hard time writing this chapter. It was difficult for me to achieve the feel I was going for, and I'm still not sure I managed to do that. So any feedback you have would be AWESOME. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and leaving wonderful comments. They truly inspire me to keep going with this story.

As Carol drew nearer to Therese, the younger woman’s heart beat wildly. She could see Carol eyeing her, taking her time looking at Therese, really looking at her. Carol’s smile, paired with the look in her eyes, said a thousand different things to Therese, none of which she could fully interpret. Therese had to make a conscious effort to control her breathing. It was painfully obvious to her that Carol knew exactly the kind of effect she had on her, which is why she began fidgeting nervously.  

“So, tell me, Therese. Why is it that I make you so nervous?”

The tone in Carol’s voice was seriously sexy, there was no other way for Therese to think about it. And it left Therese paralyzed. Whether from the fear of answering Carol’s question, or of Carol’s proximity to her, she couldn’t be sure, but she felt dizzy and unsteady. She looked into Carol’s eyes, pleading with the older woman to release her from the hold that she undoubtedly had on her. But Therese knew that if she had to, Carol would stand here all night, looking at Therese in the same way, waiting for an answer.

“Carol, I … It’s just …” Therese stammered. She was willing her brain to work, to think of a good answer. One that wouldn’t make her look like a complete idiot.

But suddenly, Therese’s heart spoke for her. “Carol, can I take you on a date?”

***************

The question came to Carol in a strong, confident voice. This time, it was her turn to be speechless, to be held captive by the wonder of the woman before her. Her smile had momentarily faltered by the shock of Therese’s question, but her lips turned upwards in a soft grin when she had processed what had been asked. “And what makes you want to do that?”

Carol and her questions. She knew what she was doing. She always knew what she was doing. And she had realized that Therese was not as demure as she had supposed her to be. So, she didn’t stop herself from questioning Therese in a way that made the young woman gaze at her with what Carol thought may have even been a pleading look in her eyes.

“I wanna know, I think … I mean, I want to ask you things, but I’m not sure that you want that,” Therese said, this time her voice barely above a whisper.

Carol stepped towards Therese once more, her own heart beating so loud that she was afraid Therese might be able to hear it. As she tucked a strand of hair behind Therese’s ear, and let her thumb graze her cheek, she saw Therese give into her and close her eyes.

“Ask me things. Please,” Carol whispered back to her, as she watched Therese’s smooth eyelids flutter.

Carol might have kissed her. She might have pulled her close and told her that she was just as undone by Therese as Therese seemed to be by her. But when she heard her phone vibrating in her pocket, she pulled away. Looking to her phone, she saw Abby’s name flashing across the screen, and she saw how late it had gotten. She was brought back to reality and realized that she needed to pick Rindy up soon.

“Call me tomorrow, darling. Tell me where you’re taking me on this date.”

And in her signature style, she left with a sly smile and a wink.

***************

When she was finally able to move, Therese walked to the old couch in her office, laid down and closed her eyes. Behind her eyelids, all she could see was Carol. She could still feel Carol’s soft touch on her cheek, which made her shiver again. Therese felt exposed, as if some force in Carol had made her ask the older woman on a date. She questioned herself. Had she always been this brave? Surely not, she had never asked anyone on a date before. But then again, she had never really wanted to before now.

The more Therese thought, the more she felt as if she had been thrown in a fantasy, and she suddenly understood why Carol had described her as being ‘flung out of space’. This happenstance meeting had taken them so completely off guard that there was no other way to describe it. Earlier in the week, she had told Dannie about her ‘crush’, but now, even though barely any time had passed, this one instance with Carol had let her know that to call her feelings for Carol a crush, was simply inadequate.  

As her body grew tired, Therese’s thoughts became the nonsensical kind that often precede sleep. But before she fell asleep, she recalled the way that Carol had called her ‘darling’ and how the term of endearment looked on her lips. She realized that Carol’s simple touch had ignited a flame between her legs that she could not remember having ever felt before. Therese let out a sigh of amazement. All this time, she had been worried that something was wrong with her for not having the same feelings that so many of her friends had told her about. She let herself revel in the feeling of being turned on in a way that was completely new to her. As her wetness blossomed, Therese let her mind slip to all things Carol, and with it, her hand under her clothes to let herself discover the way her body responded to the blue-eyed woman who was quickly turning her world upside down.

***************

By the time Carol had willed herself away from Therese (which took more strength than she would like to admit), she had missed Abby’s call. Before she had time to sit in the car and let herself think too much, she heard her faithful friend’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Hi, okay, so back to that part you said we could talk about later. About your feelings for this woman. Spill the beans”. Abby immediately demanded.

“Yes, hello to you too,” Carol quipped. “Speaking of, you have really excellent timing, we-”

“Carol, you fucked her already? I mean, I know your charm, but damn, you must really be laying it on thick this time.”

“Abby, you’re an idiot. It wasn’t anything like that,” Carol scoffed. “What I was saying is, I just left from seeing her.” Carol paused, still feeling shocked that Therese had asked the question. “Abby, she asked me on a date.”

“Okay, well this woman obviously has balls of steel to be able to manage asking Carol Aird out on a date. Tell me about her, Carol.” Abby’s tone softened, and Carol could not fight the urge to resist giving in to her friend’s command.

As Carol told Abby all that she knew about Therese while she drove to pick up Rindy, she realized fully how bad she had it for Therese. This green-eyed beauty, this young, thoughtful woman had been able to make her feel things she hadn’t felt in such a long time. Feelings that, because she hadn’t felt them in so long, she attributed to youth. She had not fully processed their moment in Therese’s office yet, but she knew that it had dramatically increased her feelings for Therese. With this increase in feelings came Carol’s yearning to undo this woman. She wanted to know Therese in the deep way that lovers are privy to. She wanted to undress not only her body, but her mind as well. And to just touch Therese’s soft skin for a brief moment had left her with an insatiable desire to feel Therese’s small body pressed against hers. But as much as Carol wanted Therese, she made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t make that move until the moment was right. Things with Therese were so new and so innocent. Carol would not allow herself to move too quickly and put Therese off. If that moment were to come, she wanted it to be perfect.

As Rindy got in her mother’s car and excitedly talked about her new friend, Carol’s thoughts came down, as she began to realize that this relationship would not be simple. As a newly divorced woman and the mother of a young child, she would need to talk to Therese about what this baggage might mean for a relationship. But then again, maybe Carol was getting ahead of herself. After all, she hadn’t even gone on her date with Therese yet.

***************

Therese woke up with a start as she heard the front door to the shelter open and close. She heard whistling that she immediately recognized as Dannie.

“Hey love bug, brought you some breakfast. I ran into that guy from the store and -” Dannie stopped as he stepped into Therese’s office. He saw her laying on the couch, wearing the same clothes she had worn yesterday, and his smile was possibly the biggest Therese had ever seen. “Therese Belivet! You sneaky little minx! God, T. you’re one lucky woman. You know how many people would kill for a piece of that. Still, I will say, I’m surprised-”

Dannie was shushed by a pillow being thrown at his face by Therese. “Would you shut up? Do you honestly think I slept with her after you left? I fell asleep here, Dannie. But, I _did_ ask her on a date before she left.”

“Okay, well that’s almost as surprising as thinking that you slept with her. You’re telling me that the same Therese I’ve known for all these years, the one who has never approached anyone, asked that woman on a date?! Alright, Therese! That’s what I’m talking about!”

Dannie and Therese laughed, and after a bit of chit chat about Therese’s bravery and the events that had taken place the night before, they began to prepare the shelter for the day. When they had finished, Therese left Dannie in charge so that she could go home and take a shower. She tried to focus, tried to stay in the moment, but her thoughts kept going back to the call she would make to Carol later today. Where was she going to take a woman like Carol out on a date?

***************

At both of her office buildings, Carol had placed an importance on Zen in the office space. With both offices having their own meditation rooms, at which guided meditation sessions were offered, Carol’s employees had found themselves feeling less stressed and more productive. This benefited Carol in the obvious ways, but also made her well regarded and liked at her workplace, even though she still managed to intimidate her employees. Carol herself was a participant in the meditative sessions, and her colleagues enjoyed seeing such a powerful woman let herself visibly relax in the company of others. There was something intimate about the moment that bonded Carol with her employees, and this was not lost on those that worked with her.

During the morning meditation session that Carol had engaged in every morning since inviting the practice into her work, she felt a total inability to focus. Being mindful had typically come easy to Carol. She had always been someone who was well in control of her surroundings, and of her own thoughts. Typically, when she instructed her brain to let go, it followed her command and the world slipped away from her as she focused on her present meditative state. Today, though, she could only focus on one thing: the call she was expecting from Therese.

After she had finished what had essentially been a useless meditation session, she changed into her work attire and went into her personal office. Work came easy to Carol. She was extremely intelligent and talented in regard to her job, and she thoroughly enjoyed the work she did. Talking with clients, giving presentations, and leading seminars with powerful businesspersons was a regular part of Carol’s job, and she never even batted an eye at these things. Which is why she was slightly embarrassed at how nervous she felt from the mere thought of Therese calling her about their date. Her thoughts yesterday had pulled her down from the cloud that she had been on, and she realized that she would need to talk to Therese about her own personal life. She would need to explain to Therese that her divorce had been messy, that if she wanted to be serious with Carol, Therese would need to be able to welcome Rindy into her life. But with these thoughts also came the fear of realizing that Carol was thinking incredibly long-term concerning someone she had known so briefly. As much as she wanted Abby to be wrong, she knew that she was all too right. Her feelings for Therese were already more than what could be attributed to a crush.

***************

At Dannie’s behest, Therese had gone out to her car to call Carol in silence. There had been a lull in activity at the shelter and Dannie wouldn’t let her pass the opportunity up to call Carol. As much as she pretended to be annoyed with him, she was thankful for his persistence. Without it, she wasn’t sure she would have been able to muster up enough courage to call Carol at all.

As she dialed the woman’s phone number, she could feel her hands sweating. All she needed to do was press the green button, that was it. But it took her several minutes to convince herself to do it. As the line began to ring, she almost felt like she could throw up. She tried to remind herself that _she_ had been the one to ask Carol on a date, it was her that found that courage. As she was racking her brain to try to figure out where that courage had even came from, the line was answered.

“C.R. Consulting Group, Carol Aird speaking.” Carol’s voice was steely, and it momentarily threw Therese off. With a few seconds gone by, she proceeded.

“Carol, hi. It’s Therese. Therese Belivet. From the shelter.” After she said it, she put her palm to her head. She had sounded like a total idiot. And Carol’s laughter let her know it.

“Hello, Therese Belivet from the shelter. I apologize for my tone, I got lost in my work. Anyway, I’ve been waiting for you to call.” Therese could tell that Carol was smiling, she could hear it in her voice. And this brought on her own smile and released her from the embarrassment that she had felt.

“Have you?”

“I have. Tell me more about this date, Therese. You know, I’m a busy woman. Who’s to say I’ll even be able to fit you into my schedule?” Carol said in a playful tone.

Therese knew Carol was trying to throw her off, but she was feeling playful herself and decided to give it right back to Carol. “Oh, I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that. You know, I’ve seen the way you look at me, Carol. I think you’d make room in your schedule for me come hell or high water.” Therese was being brave, very brave, and she was fully aware of it. She knew that at this point, she was playing with fire, Carol as the flame.

“Well, well, Ms. Belivet.” Therese hadn’t heard Carol say her last name before and it unnerved her how sexy she found it. “Someone is feeling awfully confident in herself today.” Carol paused, and Therese knew she had won this round. She silently celebrated her victory. “So, about this date. When should I be ready for you?”

Therese asked her if she would be available tomorrow evening, around 7. Carol said that she would arrange a sitter for Rindy and would be waiting for Therese at 7 sharp. Therese informed Carol about the attire expected at the restaurant she planned to take Carol, and Carol gave Therese her address. At the end of the call, Therese could not stop herself from saying, “I can’t wait to see you.”

“Oh, Therese,” Carol purred. “What am I going to do with you?” Carol’s suggestive tone had exactly the effect on Therese that she knew Carol was going for. And with that, she heard the tone from her phone that let her know Carol had hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T HATE ME THE DATE IS COMING NEXT I SWEAR


	5. Starving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so things are HEATING UP (school wise and fic wise). I might be a little slower updating this week, lots of final projects coming to a head. But anyway, thank you for continuing to read! Please leave your thoughts and feelings in a comment, I always appreciate it and it seriously does inspire me. 
> 
> Also, I got a few comments on the last chapter about Therese and Carol's date outfits. If you're interested, here are the pictures that inspired their clothing choices:  
> Therese: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/style-files/news/g23630/rooney-mara-style-file/?slide=16 (I've had this link go right to the picture and I've also had it not. If it doesn't, the picture to look at is on slide 16)  
> Carol: https://www.dapperq.com/2014/11/cate-blanchett-emily-blunt-and-zhou-xun-suit-up-for-new-iwc-schaffhausen-ad-campaign/

After Carol hung up the phone, she laid her head down on the cool wooden desk in front of her. She’d taken the call at her office, and it was a welcome break from her work. But after hearing Therese’s voice, she doubted she’d be able to get much more work done for the remainder of the day. Therese had a way of making her mind reel, leaving her breathless, and taking away her ability to focus on nearly anything. She could still hear Therese’s soft voice confessing her excitement to see her. Goodness, what that voice did to Carol.

Upon meeting Therese, Carol had supposed that she would easily be able to make Therese cave under her bold statements, questions, and gazes. But Therese had pleasantly surprised her by showing that she could hold her own. Carol knew that this was no easy feat concerning herself. She had watched countless people crumble in her presence and lose their nerve, and she had been especially hard on Therese. So, Therese’s boldness and refusal to give in to Carol’s games left Carol feeling all the more attracted to the young woman that was fast becoming irresistible to her.  

When Carol was on her way to pick Rindy up from school, she shook her head and laughed at all the work she realized she hadn’t gotten done after her phone call with Therese. The time between leaving work and picking up Rindy was always a time of reflection for Carol. She would process the events of her workday, compartmentalize those thoughts, and tuck them away for the following day. This allowed her to turn off her ‘work brain’ and to enjoy the evening with her favorite girl, without thoughts of work pestering her. However, being that Therese had managed to involve herself in Carol’s workday, this was no easy feat for Carol today. Even as Rindy got in the car, Carol was still forcing herself to stop thinking about the voice that had unraveled her.

“Hi, baby,” she said with a warm smile. “How was school today?”

“It was good, momma. I painted a picture of Oliver.” Rindy’s voice alluded to the fact that she was more than excited to be able to show Carol her artwork.

“Did you? I can’t wait to see it, sweetheart.” They sat in silence for a moment. Rindy was not the sort of child to talk aimlessly. It was rare for her to fill silences, and this was something Carol loved about her girl. She knew that when Rindy grew up, her unusual comfortability with silence would work to intimidate people in the same way that many of Carol’s own antics did. Rindy’s shyness did not come from being fearful of social interactions. It came from the way in which she preferred to reserve her full self for those she was most comfortable around, those that had worked to earn her trust. She was not uncomfortable with strangers, she was just wary of giving them her time (a very Carol attitude she inherited). In addition, Rindy simply preferred to spend time in her head, imagining creative, fanatical stories that she would later paint out and describe for Carol. Already gifted beyond belief, Rindy had a way of understanding things that made Carol feel that it would be appropriate to ask her the question she had been sitting on.

“Rindy?” She paused, unsure if the sudden feeling of nervousness that occupied her was justified by the question she was about to ask. “How would you feel about mommy going on a date tomorrow?”

***************

“Dannie, what should a woman wear when she wants to convey that she is really into her date, and wants to be all kinds of hot, but still wants to keep it classy because the woman she is taking on a date is an actual goddess?” Therese asked, laughing at her own self for how giddy she was just thinking about her date with Carol tomorrow.

“Finally, someone realizes me for the fashion guru that I have always been,” Dannie joked, and Therese laughed at how silly she had been to ask Dannie, of all people, for advice on what to wear. After all, his outfits consisted of the following: a flannel over an old t-shirt, jeans, and his worn sneakers. The only thing that ever changed was the t-shirt and the color of the flannel. “Isn’t it a thing that you can’t go wrong with a little black dress? That’s a thing, right?”

Therese smiled at the way in which her clueless friend was trying to help her. “Yes, Dannie, that’s a thing.”

Even though Therese had originally thought Dannie’s suggestion to be ridiculous, she knew exactly what she would wear tomorrow: a little black dress.

***************

Rindy furrowed her eyebrows and looked confusedly at her mother. “You mean you like someone?”

Carol had decided earlier, while thinking of this moment, that if Rindy had questions, she would answer them. Although Rindy was only 6, Carol had worked hard to make sure that she had an open and honest relationship with her daughter, especially regarding the messy divorce that she was thrown in the middle of. She didn’t tell Rindy anything that would’ve been too much for a 6-year-old to process, but she also didn’t sugarcoat the situation in a way that would leave Rindy confused about the goings on between her parents. Carol had guessed that she might be having this conversation with her daughter someday, but she didn’t think it would come about so soon. Nonetheless, she proceeded.

“I do like someone. Remember Therese? Who gave us Oliver? I like _her_.” She paused for a moment and stole a glance at her daughter while she drove them home. Rindy didn’t look shocked or upset, which was a good sign, and prompted Carol to keep going. “Therese is who I’m planning on going out on a date with tomorrow.”

“Oh. Well I think that’s fine. Do you think she will give us a dog too?”

Carol laughed at the innocence of her daughter. Rather than asking why her mother was going on a date with a woman or what her father might think of this, she had asked about a dog.

“I’m not sure about that, sweetheart. I don’t think Oliver would particularly like to have a dog around the house.” Rindy seemed to be mulling this over. “But Rindy, listen. I want you to tell me if you have a problem with any of this, okay? With the date or anything that has to do with it. Would you still like me to ask Therese to come over and visit Oliver?”

Rindy’s face lit up. “Yes, I can show her the picture I made of him!” Carol smiled with such ferocity that if Therese would have seen it, there is no doubt that she would have absolutely melted.

***************

Therese had been a ball of nerves all day. Since she woke up, the only thing that had been on her mind was her date with Carol. Although her stomach had been full of butterflies since the first moment she opened her eyes, she felt some small reassurance knowing that she was well prepared for the day. She had made reservations at a (very) nice restaurant, carefully laid out her outfit, and cleaned every inch of her car. She looked forward to being able to look nice for Carol. Though she mostly wore worn out jeans and t-shirts to the shelter, Therese took every opportunity to dress up when she wasn’t at work. And she knew that with the way Carol looked at her in her work attire, she was sure to elicit some serious gazes from her tonight.

As she put was putting the finishing touches on her makeup with a bold red lipstick, Therese admired herself in the full-length mirror. Wearing a simple black dress that cut off slightly lower than her mid-thigh, strappy heels, and her hair in a sleek bun, she felt incredibly sexy. She was happy to be armed with this confidence, but was unsure of how long it would last.

She grabbed her clutch on her way out the door, and paused. She gave herself a minute to breathe before opening the door. _Dear God,_ she thought, _give me strength._

***************

Debating on a dress or a suit, Carol had gone with the suit. With a black suit and a crisp white button up, she felt as confident as ever in her simple, yet elegant attire. She had decided to wear a bow tie around her neck, but to leave it untied, as well as to leave the top few buttons of her shirt undone. She hoped that perhaps this would make her seem less intimidating to Therese, though she could not resist wearing heels so that she would tower over the younger woman. Although her look seemed effortless, she had spent a fair amount of time putting her hair in a loose chignon. Her makeup was simple, and at the last minute, she decided to add a pop of color to her lips with her signature red lipstick.

Just as she was giving herself one last look over in the mirror, she heard the doorbell ring. Her heart began to beat rapidly. Thankfully, her legs seemed to be working on their own as they carried her to the door. She grabbed her purse from the table in the foyer. Pulling her keys out of her purse to lock up behind her, she opened the front door.

At first, she had occupied herself with closing the door and locking it behind her. But when she turned to see Therese, she stopped in her tracks. She gave herself permission to gaze at the woman for longer than was appropriate, taking in the length of her dress, how beautiful her legs looked, her exposed arms, and lastly, her lips. The word that came to her mind was kissable.

Therese smiled shyly, her face showing a light blush. “Therese … you look …” She paused, giving herself time to find the right words. “God, you’re gorgeous. If you thought I stared at you before, you have no idea …” She trailed off, feeling like words were simply inadequate to be able to describe how beautiful Therese looked tonight.

Therese looked up at her, her face burning. With the same shy smile, she whispered, “Are you ready to go?”

***************

After Carol had nodded her head, Therese let herself grab Carol’s hand to lead her to the car. With their touch, Therese felt like her body was on fire. As they reached the car, Therese opened the passenger side door for Carol.

“My, what a gentleman,” said Carol in a warm, gentle voice. Therese could only smile for a moment, as she was still reeling from Carol’s touch.

“I do what I can,” said Therese, still smiling.

As Therese got in the car with Carol, she was surrounded by the smell of Carol’s perfume. The scent, which was floral and woody, brought back the feeling between her legs that only Carol could seem to elicit. “Oh, your perfume,” she said quietly as she started the car.

“Yes?”

“It’s nice.”

“Thank you. You smell very fine yourself, Therese Belivet.” Carol said with a smile. Therese could not understand why Carol’s saying her full name had such an effect on her, but it was difficult for her to continue breathing like a normal human.

Carol and Therese sat in a comfortable silence, both wondering what random force had brought them to this moment that they had so desired. As Carol reached over to grab Therese’s hand so that she could intertwine her fingers with the younger woman’s, she could hear Therese’s breathing change, and could see her chest rising and falling. Carol was tempted to point out how nervous Therese had gotten, but decided she would spare her for the time being.

“You said you wanted to ask me things. What would you like to know, Therese?”

Without missing a beat, as if she had already rehearsed this moment, Therese said, “What is Rindy like? Tell me about her.”

Not only did Carol feel supremely happy that Therese had asked this question, but she also felt relieved. She had been concerned that Therese, as young as she was, wouldn’t be willing to welcome a child into her life. She was nervous that Therese would be uninterested in her daughter’s life, but by asking this question, Therese had let her know that she was completely interested. As Carol talked about her daughter, she was amazed by how engaged Therese seemed to be. When Carol mentioned that Rindy was interested in art, Therese asked all sorts of questions about what subjects interested Rindy and how she created her art. As the conversation continued, Carol held on tight to Therese’s hand. Her feelings multiplying with every second she spent with Therese, she was unwilling to let go of her.

***************

Before they knew it, Therese and Carol had arrived at the restaurant. When Therese reluctantly pulled her hand away from Carol to open her door, Carol stopped her.

“Wait,” she said, with an excited grin. “You got the door for me, now it’s my turn.”

As her door was pulled open, she saw Carol’s hand extend down to help her out of the car. “For you, my dear,” Carol joked. Therese gladly took her hand, and when she had gotten out of her car, she realized that this was the closest she’d ever been to Carol. With Carol wearing heels, she had to look up to be able to gaze into her eyes.

“Carol, I couldn’t tell you when I picked you up, I was too nervous.” She stopped for a moment to give herself a second to breathe. She held Carol’s gaze and continued,” But, you look beautiful tonight.”

Carol’s eyes softened for Therese as she brought her hand up to Therese’s face to once again caress her soft cheek. Again, her thumb traced Therese’s features, but where she had stopped before, this time she did not. Carol ran her thumb over Therese’s lips, slightly pulling her bottom lip as she trailed her fingers down to Therese’s neck. Her fingers stopped to rest on Therese’s collarbone, lightly moving her fingers back and forth.

Therese was wet. So very wet. And she was breathing hard. By the way Carol was looking at her, she assumed that Carol knew exactly what she was doing to her.

“Are you hungry, baby?” Carol whispered to her with a smart grin.

“Yes,” Therese answered in a choked whisper. “Starving.”

As Carol grabbed her hand to walk with her into the restaurant, she felt like she was floating on air.


	6. A Lucky Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS CHEESY AS HELL
> 
> Anyway, 
> 
> I struggled to make this chapter live up to all the anticipation, so hopefully it doesn't disappoint. Anyway, I referenced some parts of the book for this, so there's that. Also, this chapter is on the shorter side, with the bulk of it being dialogue, but my brain has been thoroughly fried by school crap today, so I promise more is coming soon. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading guys! People that comment are MY FAVORITE IN THE WORLD.
> 
> Side note: the book referenced in this chapter (The Well of Loneliness) is a beautiful lesbian book published in 1928 that will break your heart. But it's wonderful.

As Carol led Therese into the restaurant, her face was adorned by a cheeky grin. She knew exactly what she had done to Therese and could only speculate about the reaction she might have caused beneath Therese’s dress. She decided against letting herself get lost in that thought (for the time being), and instead focused on holding the door for Therese, and watching the way Therese’s body moved as she walked in front of her. When they reached the hostess, Carol could tell that Therese was still reeling from their interaction in the parking lot, so when the waiter asked if they had a reservation, Carol took charge.

“Yes, table for two. Belivet.”

As the hostess showed them to their table, Carol noticed Therese coming back to life as she sat down and quickly grabbed a drink of water from the glass that had been poured upon their arrival. They both listened politely as the waiter went over the specials of the day and the wine options. Carol, again taking the lead, ordered a bottle of wine for the table. As the waiter walked away, they were alone again, each staring at the other.

“So, what kind of name is Belivet?” Carol asked to make light conversation with Therese.

“It’s Czech. It’s changed,” Therese explained awkwardly. “Originally-”

“It’s very original,” Carol interjected.

Therese smiled at her shyly and Carol noticed that outside of the shelter, Therese looked so young. Maybe even frightened. She could tell that Therese was out of her comfort zone, being with Carol outside of the shelter, an environment that Therese had almost complete control over.

“How old are you, Therese?”

“Twenty-three.”

“My, my. You’re a child,” Carol said, looking intently at Therese. It hadn’t sounded harsh or condescending coming from her. It sounded soft, as if Carol was telling Therese how much she wanted to protect her and take care of her. As the waiter came back to pour the women a glass of wine and take their food orders, Carol let herself briefly think about what it would be like to have Therese in her house, filling her home with her sweet laughter and precious dimples.  

Therese interrupted her thinking by asking her a question. “The initials of the company you work for, what do they stand for?”

Carol smiled at the young woman before her. “That’s my company, actually. The initials are my own, Carol Ross.” After Therese looked at her with confusion on her face, Carol explained. “Aird is from my ex-husband. We got divorced a year ago, I just haven’t gotten around to changing my name. I founded the company before I met him, and by the time we got married, the company was already well on its way, so I never changed it.”

“Oh,” Therese said simply. “That’s impressive, Carol. I suppose that would explain why your house looks like it’s from a magazine cover and you drive a Tesla.”

Carol laughed, “Those are just things, Therese. Granted, I came from money, but I also worked hard for what I have. But anyway, it’s my turn to ask you a question. I’ve gathered that you care about animals and that you can take decent pictures,” Carol joked with Therese, “but what else do you do? What do you like to do outside of work?”

“Hmmm,” Therese said to give herself a minute to think. “I read. Too much, probably.”

Carol laughed lightly, “That’s refreshing. What do you read? What are your favorite books?”

“Oh gosh, anything really. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but I’d say The Lovely Bones, The Well of Loneliness, 1Q84, and all of Wally Lamb’s books are probably in the running.”

“The Well of Loneliness …” Carol trailed off, obviously thinking of the book. “What a sad, sad book. Beautiful, but heartbreaking.”

“Oh, I know,” Therese said and launched into her interpretation of the book. Carol smiled to see Therese talk so excitedly about something that was of such obvious interest and importance to her. When Therese had finished her spiel, Carol looked at her with soft, gentle eyes.

“Therese, you really do look beautiful tonight. Just stunning.” Carol’s tone of voice was soft, and she could tell that Therese was hanging on to her every word. When she saw the color rising on Therese’s cheeks, Carol couldn’t stop herself.

“That blush,” she said in a whisper, with a grin spreading across her face.

Therese looked down shyly, her face a shade of red that glowed beautifully in the soft lighting of the restaurant.

And with that, their meals were delivered to the table.

***************

As Therese lifted her fork to her mouth, she made a concentrated effort to keep her hand from shaking. While the evening was going wonderfully, she was still feeling nervous in front of the gorgeous presence before her. As Therese took another bite, Carol looked at her, a question on her lips.  
“So, is it a hobby of yours to pick up older women from the shelter and take them out on romantic dates?”

Therese laughed, and her smile was full of happiness. “No, I’ve never taken anyone I’ve met at the shelter on a date.” As her laughter died down, she added, “Or a woman, for that matter.”

Carol tilted her head in surprise. “You’ve never been on a date with a woman?”

“No, I … is that bad?”

“No, not at all. Just surprising, really. I figured you’d had girls, and guys alike, chasing after you.”

“Goodness, no,” said Therese, laughing at the concept. “I keep to myself, mostly. I don’t usually go out of my way to show interest.”

“Well then,” said Carol slowly. “I suppose that makes me a lucky girl.”

“It would seem so,” Therese said back to her with a sweet smile.

“What about men? Do you go on dates with men?” Carol asked.

“Sometimes. I dated a man, Richard, for a while. He seemed to think things were pretty serious between us.”

“But you didn’t?”

“No. I don’t think I ever truly loved him. I said I did, but I think that was out of obligation.”

“And did you sleep with him?”

Therese paused at the question, sitting her fork down on her plate and looking at Carol. “No. He tried, but I … No, I didn’t sleep with him.” Therese surprised herself by not being overly nervous in response to Carol’s question.

“Does this make you a virgin, Therese?”

 _Well,_ thought Therese, _so much for my not being overly nervous._ “Yes. That would make me a virgin, Carol.” Therese paused to watch Carol’s mischievous smile spread across her face. She wanted to turn this around, take the heat off herself, so she asked, “What about your ex-husband? What was he like?”

“Oh, I loved him at one time. That was a long time ago, though. We met when we were young, thought we’d get married, have a baby, and live happily ever after. Two out of three isn’t so bad though, is it?” Carol paused, but Therese stared at her, willing her to keep talking. As Carol continued, Therese knew her message had been conveyed. “Things were fine between us for a long time. He made me happy and I made him happy. When Rindy was born, he was the perfect father. But after a while, things changed. He started working longer hours, requesting to go on more business trips, and I pulled away from him too. I’m not proud of this at all, but I wound up having an affair with my best friend. Word got around to him and I moved forward with a divorce. Things got messy in the middle, but I decided to open a new branch of my consulting firm here, so when Rindy and I moved here, it was such a relief to leave all of that behind.”

Therese watched Carol and slowly smiled. Carol looked down and said, “I’m sorry, I know that was a lot. I probably shouldn’t-”

“No, no,” Therese said cutting her off. Although she was secretly delighted that she’d managed to make Carol as nervous as she always seemed to make Therese, she didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. “I just smiled because you’re telling me all these things about yourself. I’m getting to know you.”

***************

As dessert arrived at the table, Carol thought to herself how lucky she really was. As unsure as she was about where things with Therese would go, she knew that she wanted more of the soft-spoken woman that had given her a beautiful night.

“Therese, Rindy thought you might be missing Oliver and wondered if, perhaps, you’d like to come visit him. Would you?”

Therese didn’t miss a beat. “Carol, are you using your daughter’s cuteness to get me over to your house?”

Carol smiled and laughed, always surprised by Therese and her witty banter. “I think I am, actually. Is it working?”

“Hmmm, I’m not sure. I recall you telling me something about being rather busy, are you sure you could find the time to have me over?”

“I’ll be honest Therese, as difficult as it was to be able to swing this date tonight, I think you’ve made it well worth my time, so I suppose I could set aside more time for you.”

Therese and Carol both laughed, enjoying the flirtatious tones they’d become accustomed to using with one another.

***************

After Carol reluctantly agreed to let Therese take care of the check, the women stood to make their way back to the car. Walking out of the restaurant, Carol grabbed Therese’s hand. When Therese looked at her and smiled, Carol couldn’t help but to make a confession. “I like the way your hand feels in mine, Therese.” She watched Therese smile as they made their way to the car. This time, they both opened their own doors as they got in the car.

Therese sat in her seat, let her hands fall to her lap, and let out a sigh. “What’s wrong?” Carol asked, her voice concerned.

“Nothing, I just … Am I doing this right? Was that okay? The date I mean?”

Carol couldn’t help but to laugh at how adorable Therese was. “Therese, don’t you know that I like you? You came to my house, looking as beautiful as ever and treated me to a delicious, romantic dinner. Everything about this was right.”

Therese smiled at Carol’s sweet honesty and started the car

***************

On the way home, both women sat in a peaceful silence as they held hands and processed the events of the night. Therese wondered how she’d ever managed to ask Carol on a date in the first place, and if she should be prepared to kiss Carol when she dropped her off. Carol thought about what she could make for dinner tomorrow to impress Therese, and whether it would be appropriate to kiss Therese when they reached her house.

As they reached Carol’s driveway, Carol took her hand away from Therese and went to open her door. “Tonight, was wonderful, Therese. Really, thank you.”

“Wait,” Therese said, “I’m walking you to the door.”

 Carol smiled at Therese’s sweet gesture and walked around the car to meet her. When she reached Therese, they linked hands, and walked towards the house. They stood on the doorstep, Carol staring down at Therese, and Therese up at Carol.

“Will you come over tomorrow?” Carol whispered to Therese.

Therese grinned. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

Carol wanted to ask Therese to stay with her. Therese would have said yes. But instead, Therese looked into Carol’s eyes as she leaned closer to her. Her lips almost touching Carol’s, she whispered “How is it that I’m still here with you, and already, I can’t wait to see you tomorrow?”

Therese moved closer to Carol, and Carol knew that Therese would kiss her. Carol swallowed hard and Therese could feel her breathing harder. Just as Carol readied herself to finally feel Therese’s lips on hers, Therese pulled away, giving Carol her payback for her behavior in the parking lot earlier.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Carol,” she said as she walked back to her car.


	7. How We Feel Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I wound up writing a really long chapter, so I've split it into two chapters. This chapter is more of a filler with less Carol & Therese moments, but things heat back up in the following.
> 
> So here's two new chapters! Woohoo!
> 
> Let me know your thoughts and feelings. And thank so much for reading, guys. 
> 
> P.S. I would really love to know who likes to follow this story and to learn about the Carol fan base. If you enjoy this story, I would love it if you could leave me a comment telling me a little bit about yourself and what drew you to Carol.

The whole way back to her house, Therese smiled so hard that her cheeks hurt. Her mind was stuck somewhere between wondering if the night had even been real and trying to process everything that had happened. She’d held Carol’s hand and felt Carol touch her, and both gestures had made Therese’s body react in ways that were new for her. It amazed her that even though it had happened at the beginning of the night, she was still able to feel Carol’s fingers carefully tracing her collarbone. When she arrived home, she was surprised at how quickly the time had passed while she had replayed various moments of the night as she drove.

As she laid in her bed, Therese tried to process all her feelings for Carol and what they might mean for the future. She was aware that every time she was around Carol, her feelings seemed to multiply at what was, for her, an alarming rate. It scared Therese that she barely knew this woman, yet was already so smitten with her. Yes, she knew her more today than she had yesterday, but still, there was so much more to learn about the mystery that was Carol.

Therese closed her eyes and let herself picture what it would be like to be in Carol’s home tomorrow, surrounded by everything that was her. She was nervous to be in a place that was completely Carol’s and totally out of her control, but she was excited to be able to see how Carol lived and, of course, to be close to her again. Therese was also eager to get to spend time with Rindy. Every time Carol talked about Rindy, she gave off such an air of overwhelming love that it warmed Therese to her core. She was unsure of what degree Carol would want Rindy to know about their relationship, but she wanted Carol to know that she was not bothered by her having a child, and she would gladly become a part of Rindy’s life if the future allowed.

Revisiting her dinner conversations with Carol, Therese recalled that Carol had admitted to having an affair with her best friend during her marriage with Harge. At the time that Carol had said it, Therese was still so mesmerized by being in Carol’s presence that she hardly noticed it. Now, alone with her thoughts and measuring the weight of this statement, Therese felt confused about what it meant to her. On one hand, Therese understood that everyone has a past and makes mistakes. Carol did tell her that it was nothing she was proud of. On the other, Therese would be lying if she said this did not bother her in the least.

As she settled into sleep, Therese decided that this would be something she would need to talk to Carol about tomorrow.

***************

During her shower the following morning, Carol couldn’t stop herself from thinking of the dreams that she’d had last night. Multiple times, she’d dreamt that her head had been buried between Therese’s legs, and she was still struggling to get that thought out of her head. Carol already wanted Therese with such an intensity that she wasn’t sure she completely trusted herself to be alone with the younger woman. Not wanting to come on too strong, Carol mentally prepared herself for having to be extra conscious of any advances she might make on Therese.

While preparing breakfast for Rindy, who was typically an early riser, Carol heard her tiny footsteps padding into the kitchen.

“Good morning, baby.” Carol said with a smile. Carol noticed that Rindy had brought her copy of Charlotte’s Web down with her, and watched her smart girl open it up to read as she sat on a barstool. Not wanting to interrupt her reading, Carol focused on flipping pancakes and eggs, and let her mind temporarily drift back to Therese.

Sliding Rindy’s breakfast plate towards her as the young girl put down her book, Carol asked her, “Anything in particular you’d like to do today?”

Rindy mulled this over as she bit into a syrupy stack of pancakes. “I think that maybe I’d like to paint a story I thought of last night.”

“Oh? Will you tell me about your story?”

“Yes, it’s about a girl that can talk to the sky and the sky shows her things by changing colors and moving the clouds and things.”

Carol smiled at her daughter’s creativity. “When you’re rich off your brilliant ideas, you better not forget your mom!” Rindy laughed as she shoveled more pancakes into her mouth. 

“What do you want to do today, momma?”

“I’d like to go to the bookstore sometime this morning. And remember Therese? From the shelter? She’s coming over to see Oliver. So, I was thinking I’ll make some lunch and maybe we can play some games together, if you’d like.”

“You like Therese, right? I mean like like her?”

“I do ‘like like’ her,” Carol said, smiling at her daughter’s term. “Is that okay with you, honey?”

“I think so, momma. Do you think she would like to see my pictures? Maybe I can tell her about the girl that talks to the sky?”

“I can’t say for sure, but my guess is that she would love to see your pictures. And I think you should definitely tell her about the girl that talks to the sky. But until then, lets get cleaned up for the day.”

Carol handed Rindy a wet cloth to wipe the syrup off her face then helped Rindy to pick out her clothes for the day. The thought of Therese spending time with her daughter made Carol feel nervous, excited, and hesitant all at the same time. Carol was already deciding what would and would not be appropriate behavior in front of Rindy. She would be sure not to be overly physical with Therese because she wanted Rindy to think of her relationship with Therese as more of a friendship and less as a romantic relationship until things between the two women solidified into something that was stable. But she also wanted Rindy to know that she did indeed ‘like like’ Therese so that if things did get more serious, this wouldn’t be a shock to her. And it felt important to Carol for Therese to spend time with the two of them so that Therese could make an educated decision about a life that involved a child, if their future extended that far.

Carol had so much more to learn about Therese, and thinking about this made her feel a kind of excitement that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

After going to and returning from the bookstore, Carol was eager to see Therese again. She decided to text her to see when she would arrive.

***************

Therese had just stepped out of the shower when she heard her phone’s tone that indicated a text message. After wrapping herself in a towel, she went to her nightside table to see who the message was from. When she saw that it was from Carol, her stomach filled with butterflies and a smile spread across her lips.

_Carol: Good morning, Therese Belivet. Hope you slept well. What time can I expect you today?_

Therese could hear the words in Carol’s voice and could see her name being drawn out on Carol’s lips, which sent a shudder up her spine.

_Therese: Hi, Carol. I did indeed sleep well, I hope you did the same. I’m free all day today. What time would be best for you?_

Of course, Therese wanted to say that she could be ready and on her way in 30 minutes, but she didn’t want to seem too eager for Carol. Plus, she didn’t know if Carol had other things she needed to do today.

_Carol: You could come over at around 1, if that works for you. I’ll make some lunch. Do you like lasagna?_

_Therese: I LOVE lasagna, it’s one of my favorites._

Therese thought of what else she should say. She let her fingers type out words she would never send: _Can’t wait to eat it. And you, as well._ Then promptly deleted this message, while laughing at herself for how ridiculous she was being.

_Carol: Great, I’ll see you then_

***************

At 12:15, Carol put the lasagna in the oven. She wanted everything to be perfect for Therese, and now understood why Therese had asked her if their first date was okay. Therese must have felt the same way she was feeling now.

She went back through the house to make sure everything was tidy and to inform Rindy that Therese would be here soon. Rindy, engaged in her latest painting, paid no mind to Carol, so Carol went to her bedroom to give herself the once over. Wearing ankle jeans and an old burgundy company t-shirt, Carol knew that she didn’t look her absolute best, but she wanted Therese to see her looking natural and comfortable in her own home. Deciding that she looked fine, Carol went back to the kitchen to make some sautéed vegetables and a fresh salad. Just as she was cutting some bread to brown in the oven, she heard the doorbell ring.

“Momma, Therese is here,” Carol heard Rindy yelling.

She went to the door, making a conscious effort to try to appear calm. As she opened the door, she was, again, taken back by Therese, who looked just as beautiful as she had yesterday. Her simple attire (skinny jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and black converse) let her body do the talking, and Carol could not help but to comment on it.

Just as a wide smile was spreading across Therese’s lips, Carol said, “Completely different, but every bit as gorgeous as the last time I saw you.”

Therese looked down and bit her lip, and Carol felt her stomach flip. “Thank you, Carol.” Therese stood there looking at Carol, and Carol could feel that there was something Therese wanted to say.

“What is it?” Carol asked.

Therese stayed silent for a few moments longer, then came out with it. “Carol, can I hug you?”

Carol smiled. How was it that just when she thought Therese could be no more adorable, she always managed to prove her wrong. “Of course. Come here.”

Therese moved closer to Carol and Carol tried hard to feign a calm demeanor. She wrapped her arms around the shorter woman and Therese turned her head so that her cheek was resting against Carol’s breast, with the top of her head only slightly above Carol’s chin. Carol felt Therese’s small hands on her waist, grabbing the fabric of her shirt and tugging her closer. She could also hear Therese’s breath quicken.

“Therese?”

The younger woman took a few deep breaths, before saying “Yes?” in a shaky voice.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m okay.”

Carol ran her hands down to Therese’s waist, then back up her back, trying to feel her body as best she could through her clothes. She heard Therese’s soft voice, and closed her eyes, letting herself become lost in the moment.

“I like the way you feel. I like how we feel together.”

Carol kissed the top of Therese’s head and heard a soft inhale come from below. “I do too, Therese. I do too. But although I’d stand out here with you like this for an embarrassingly long time, I’m afraid the bread might be burning.”

She heard Therese laugh and slowly, the younger woman pulled away. To avoid the temptation, when they had fully parted, Carol turned towards the house, going back in and gesturing Therese to follow her. She knew that if she looked into Therese’s eyes in that moment, it would be nearly impossible not to grab her and kiss her.

***************  

Feeling as if she was floating on air again, Therese tried to focus herself while she walked through the house with Carol. After Carol had removed the bread from the oven, she turned to Therese and said, “Let’s go let Rindy know it’s lunchtime.” Therese followed her without a word as she did her best to take in the surroundings of the house. Beautifully furnished and decorated, Therese was in awe of the masterpiece of a home that she found herself in. And to top it off, the hallway leading to Rindy’s room was a gallery of sorts filled with Rindy’s art. On each wall hung numerous paintings. Beside each painting was a white placard describing the work. Therese’s favorite picture was a stick figure inside a red balloon, with a placard that read:

_**Rindy Aird (b. 2011)** _

_**Red Balloon Girl,** **2015** _

_Crayola Markers_

_“This is a girl who lives in this red balloon and sometimes she likes to come out, but mostly she just likes to float in it. Mom let me get a balloon when we went out and it was red and that’s how I thought it.”_

As Therese looked at the sweet gallery that surrounded her, she heard Carol’s voice in the distance.

“Hey Rin? Therese is here if you’d like to come say hello.”

Therese heard Rindy and Carol coming down the hallway.

“Hi, Therese. Momma said I could show you a picture that I started painted this morning. Can I?”

Therese smiled. Rindy was holding an annoyed looking Oliver to show her. Rindy was adorable, even though Therese could already tell that she would grow up to be every bit as fierce as her mother. “Yes, of course. If they’re anything like the ones out here, I’m in for a real treat.” Therese moved towards her to pet Oliver. 

“Rindy, before you show Therese your picture, how about we have some lunch? And how about you put Oliver down, he doesn't look pleased.” Carol said.

Rindy agreed, and started to make her way towards the kitchen after she gently sat Oliver on the floor. Trailing behind, still in the hallway, Therese turned to Carol. “Carol, this is amazing. It’s seriously the sweetest thing I think I’ve ever seen.”

Carol smiled. “Well, who knows where her art will go in the future. But it’s important to her for now, so it’s important to me. And that wouldn’t mean a thing if I didn’t show her.”

***************

After everyone had gotten a plate and sat down at the table to eat, Carol decided it was her responsibility to lead the conversation.

“Rindy, do you want to tell Therese about your painting before you show it to her? That way she knows what it’s about?”

“Good idea, momma. Okay, so,” began Rindy as she turned her focus towards Therese, “There is a girl who can talk to the sky and the sky tells her things. Sometimes the sky changes colors and moves the clouds and it doesn’t mean anything to anyone else. But the girl knows that it's a message from the sky.” Rindy paused, staring at Therese, waiting for a response. Watching the two of them, Carol thought to herself that it really was remarkable how similar Rindy was to her. There was the same silence and stare she herself was infamous for.  

“Wow. Okay, first of all, that is a really, really cool story. Second, I really can’t wait to see this picture.”

“Maybe you can help me think of the rest of the story? I’m really good at painting it, but sometimes I’m not good at figuring out the whole thing.”

Carol smiled. It was rare for Rindy to open up to anyone, and she was relieved that her daughter seemed to be taking to Therese.

“Are you kidding me?! Rindy, that would be awesome! How about this – you tell me what you’re painting, and I’ll help you think of the story?”

“Yes, that’s perfect! Momma, can we please go work on the story? Please?”

“In just a minute, baby. How about you work on your lunch a bit more first?”

As Rindy shoveled down forkfuls of lasagna to get to back to her art, Carol looked at Therese and mouthed the words “Thank you.”

 

 


	8. Something Else Entirely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically pt. 2 of chapter 7. 
> 
> Enjoy and LEAVE ME DEM COMMENTS. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Everyone is wonderful and I love you all.

Once they had finished lunch, Rindy was eager to get to painting and working on her story with Therese.

“Baby, how about you bring your paints and your easel down here so that we can all sit in the living room together?”

“Okay, momma,” Rindy said as she headed up to her room to bring down her things.

“Therese, you don’t have to do all of this with her, I can-”

Therese cut her off. “Carol, I want to. I really do. Nothing about this is an obligation. I want to get to know her. I promise I do.”

Carol smiled ear to ear and Therese could only stare at her in awe.

As Rindy set up her things in the living room, Carol took a seat on the couch. Therese sat on the floor next to Rindy, making it easier for her to see Rindy’s painting. Therese noticed what appeared to be the silhouette of a girl and the beginnings of a sky up above. Therese smiled at how adorable Rindy looked in her tiny artist’s smock.

“This is the sky up here, but I don’t know if I should put the moon or the sun in it. What do you think?” Rindy asked Therese.

“Hey, you know what would be really cool? Maybe you could do like half and half. So, half the picture would be the girl talking to the sun and the daytime sky, and in the other half, she’s talking to the moon and the nighttime sky.”

Rindy jumped up excitedly. “That is awesome!” She looked to Carol. “Did you hear that momma? I’m gonna make half the picture the day and half the night, just like Therese said.”

“I heard, baby. Therese has good ideas, doesn’t she?”

“Yes. Really good ones. Can you put on some music, momma?” Rindy asked as she hastily painted out her depictions of day and night onto the canvas before her. Carol picked up her phone, pressed the screen a few times, and the soft hum of classical music (the only music Rindy liked to paint to) filled the room.

After Therese noticed that Rindy was too lost in her painting to care for her guidance anymore, she walked towards Carol and sat on the opposite end of the couch. She looked at Carol and Carol looked back at her. Therese wanted more than anything to feel her embrace again, but wouldn’t allow herself to move any closer to Carol in Rindy’s presence.  
“You’re really good with her, Therese,” Carol said as she nodded in Rindy’s direction. “Do you want children someday?” Carol’s voice was hushed to prevent Rindy from hearing their full conversation. Though she was sure that Rindy could hear them, she knew her daughter well enough to know that becoming engrossed in her paintings essentially made her deaf.

“I do, actually. I’ve always loved kids. I think they’re fantastic.”

“It shows. You know, Rindy is always very hesitant to talk to anyone new. I was worried that you would come here, and I’d spend the whole day pestering her to talk to you and making you feel awkward about it. But it looks like you didn’t need my help at all.”

“I mean, obviously I don’t know Rindy yet, but I know she’s seriously intelligent. And I know kids like that hate it when adults belittle them. As much as I can, I always try to talk to kids like I would an adult so that they know I take them seriously. And I think that probably goes a long way with Rindy.”

Carol looked at her with eyes full of meaning. “What?” Therese asked softly.

“You’re something else, Therese Belivet. Something else entirely.”

***************

 

Rindy finished her picture and began theatrically explaining the story to Carol and Therese, sometimes asking Therese for her advice. Carol let herself carefully watch Therese and her reactions to Rindy. She felt elated by Therese’s questions and spoken thoughts, probing Rindy to go deeper into her story, to think further into her imaginary world. She could tell that Therese wasn’t simply asking questions to fake interest. Therese was genuinely interested, and it showed in her body language. Although Carol related to Rindy in many ways, Carol had some difficulty understanding and relating to her endless imagination. Carol was relieved to see that Therese seemed to have no trouble understanding this part of her daughter, and in fact, seemed to understand it quite well.

After Rindy’s explanation, the three of them sat around the coffee table and set up a game of Monopoly Junior.  

“I hate to break it to you, Rindy, but I am the bomb at Monopoly. So just prepare yourself,” Therese said playfully.

At the sound of her daughter’s laughter, Carol smiled in appreciation at the woman who was so effortlessly bringing out the very best parts of Rindy.

“Okay, momma can go first, then Therese, then me. But mom, no helping Therese, even though you like like her,” Rindy said as she erupted into giggles.

Therese looked to Carol, blushing and laughing. Shrugging and raising her eyebrows, Carol said, “Well then. No help from me, Therese. You’ll have to do this one on your own.”

With a wink directed at Therese, Carol rolled the dice.

***************

After playing three games of Monopoly Junior, two of which Rindy won, and one Therese, Carol suggested that they order some pizza for dinner. After toppings were discussed and decided on, Therese asked Carol where she could find the bathroom, and Carol directed her to the one in her office.

In Carol’s office, Therese took her time to really notice her surroundings. The room was beautiful and elegant, surrounded by bookshelves. The shelves were filled with knickknacks and books. Therese noted that some of the books were related to Carol’s job, and others were for pleasure reading. Some of the pictures on the walls were Rindy’s, some were not. The huge L-shaped executive desk in the room looked beautiful and regal, and Therese could only speculate about the cost of it. The room looked both comfortable and intimidating at the same time. Therese thought that if Carol could be described by home décor, this room would be the perfect description.

On her way out of Carol’s office, Therese stopped to look the room over one more time for details she might have missed. Before turning to head back to the living room, Therese saw a couple stacks of books on Carol’s desk that she had missed before. Collectively, the stacks contained all the books she’d told Carol were in the running to be her favorite: The Lovely Bones, 1Q84, and all of Wally Lamb’s books. On the center of the desk lay a tattered and worn copy of The Well of Loneliness.

Therese walked back into the living room smiling, armed with the knowledge that Carol must’ve gone out this morning to buy all of Therese’s favorite books.

***************

By the time that everyone was finished with the pizza, Carol noticed that it was pushing 7. Rindy was obviously starting to get tired, as her yawning was becoming more and more frequent.

“Rindy, I think you should go get in your pajamas and get ready for bed, sweet pea. Your little eyes are getting heavy.” Typically, Rindy would’ve at least put up a little bit of a fight, but tonight she merely yawned and headed for the stairs.

Carol turned to Therese as she got up from the couch. “I’m going to tuck her in, but I’ll be back in just a minute.”

With Carol upstairs with Rindy, Therese had a minute to herself. She leaned back against the couch and let out a sigh. This day with Carol had been perfect, but terribly bittersweet. Seeing such a sweet family made Therese pine for her own, and this was not an easy feeling for Therese to cope with. From what Therese had gathered, Carol was a spectacular mother, and she felt shameful for thinking it, but Therese was jealous of Rindy in some ways.

Alone with her thoughts, Therese was suddenly interrupted by Carol’s voice. “Therese? Rindy requested that you tuck her in.” Therese smiled and made her way to Rindy’s bedroom.

As she walked into Rindy’s dimly lit room, she looked up to see stars being projected on the ceiling, swirling in a slow, calming pattern. “Look at you, sleeping under the stars,” Therese said as she knelt down beside Rindy’s bed to pull the covers up for her. Rindy laughed, and Therese could feel a soft spot in her heart, with Rindy's name on it, growing. She noticed an already sleeping Oliver laying at Rindy's feet. “And Oliver too! Are you ready for bed, sleepyhead?”

Yawning, Rindy shook her head and Therese could tell that she would only be awake for a few more minutes. “Thanks for helping me today, Therese.”

“You’re welcome, Rindy,” Therese said with a smile. She looked to the doorway to see Carol leaning against it, with a smile so full that Therese found herself blushing. “All right, little artist. Close those eyes and get some sleep.” As she tucked the sheets in loosely around Rindy, she felt the small girl reach her arms around her neck to hug her. The gesture tugged on Therese’s heartstrings as she embraced Rindy as best she could in their awkward position. She could almost feel tears coming to her eyes, but she forced her emotions down so as not to embarrass herself or scare Rindy. As Rindy let go of her and closed her eyes, settling in for sleep, Therese walked towards the door and whispered, “Goodnight, little Picasso.”

***************

As Therese approached her, Carol extended her hand for Therese to take. With Therese’s hand in hers, she led them back to the living room. She released her hand once they neared the couch, not wanting to force Therese to sit closer to Carol than she would like. They both sat on the couch, closer than they had been earlier, but still further than either one of them would like to be. Carol looked at Therese, still smiling.

“What is it?” Therese asked with a smile on her face as well.

“She likes you, Therese. She really likes you. Being tucked in is like a sacred ritual for Rindy. It’s big if she asks someone to tuck her in.”

“She’s amazing, Carol. I mean, obviously you know that, but from an outsider’s perspective, I can see that she’s going to capture the world one day.”

Carol’s smile grew wider. Her voice was soft as she spoke. “Since I met you, it seems like I’ve hardly stopped smiling.” She could see Therese’s face light up and her precious dimples come into full view.

Therese’s voice was soft as well. “I think that’s benefited me more than you.”

“Oh really?”

Therese bit her lower lip again and Carol could feel her body reacting. “Really.” Therese looked down at the couch, then back up again. “Can I move closer to you?” she said, her voice barely audible.

“Always.”

Therese scooted closer to Carol, then looked at her with questioning in her eyes. Carol laughed softly. “It’s okay, Therese. You can come closer, I won’t bite.”

As Therese moved so that their bodies touched, Carol relaxed back into the couch. Therese positioned herself so that her head was lying on Carol’s shoulder, her body leaning against Carol. As Therese brought her knees up to tuck her feet beside her, Carol felt Therese’s hand moving across her belly, wrapping around her. Subsequently, Carol moved her left arm around Therese to pull her close and caress her back, then she moved her right hand to lace her fingers between Therese’s.

Carol’s body felt lit up by Therese’s, and she could tell that Therese was feeling the same way. Feeling Therese’s shallow breath against her skin, Carol asked, “Would you like me to turn the TV on?”

“No, I just want to be close to you like this.”

The two women sat in silence for a while, Carol drawing slow circles on Therese’s back with her hand, and caressing Therese’s hand with her thumb. She felt Therese nuzzle closer to her and thought that her heart might leap out of her chest from the sweetness of the movement.

“Carol?”

“Hmm?”

“You said you had an affair while you were married. With your best friend. Did you love her?”

Carol took a minute to think of her response. She was caught off guard by Therese’s question, but it didn’t bother her that Therese had asked.

“It may have been something like love back then. I was never in love with her, if that’s what you’re asking. But I loved her romantically, to some degree. To be honest with you, Therese, it happened the first time because we were both very drunk and Harge was away on some business function. And after I realized that it helped me to numb the pain that came with being in a failing marriage and being a closeted lesbian for so long, I gave myself permission to keep doing it. That’s no excuse, I know that. But I just wanted to explain to you why it happened.” When Therese didn’t respond to her, Carol added, “You can ask me things, Therese. I won’t keep secrets from you. And I’m sure it’s not exactly pleasing to you that I cheated on my husband.”

Carol could feel Therese’s light laughter at her last statement. “I’m just not sure how to feel about it.” Therese paused, collecting her thoughts. “I suppose it scares me in some way.”

“That’s a valid feeling, Therese. You don’t have to feel like you need to hide that from me. But I want to take the time to show you that you don’t have to be afraid with me. And if there’s something I can do to help you feel that way, please tell me.”

Therese sat up, and Carol found herself looking into gorgeous green eyes. She brought her hand up to Therese’s neck and caressed the back of it.

She whispered, “Therese, I … I don’t know if I can stop myself from kissing you.”

Therese did not break eye contact with her as she whispered back, “Don’t try to.”

As Therese leaned in with Carol's hand still on her neck, Carol heard Rindy’s soft voice yelling from the other side of the house.

“Momma? I’m sick.”

Carol leaned her forehead against Therese’s and sighed.


	9. Color Me Surprised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been away for awhile, everyone! I took a brief time-out from anything that involved brain power after finals week. Anyway, we're back on! A little heads up about this chapter, it's more a filler for what's to come, so I caution everyone not to have high expectations for Carol/Therese action in this chapter. Next chapter though, THAT'S WHERE OUR MOMENT IS. So keep holding on, and hopefully it'll pay off soon ;) 
> 
> As always, thank you guys for reading. Definitely leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts. 
> 
> P.S. To everyone who commented on the last two chapters to tell me a little bit about yourself THANK YOU!! It was great to be able to get to know a little bit about each of the people that continuously inspire me and encourage me to write more. You guys are all awesome. Seriously, I LOVE YOU.

Carol leaned forward and whispered in Therese’s ear, “I’ll be right back, I swear.” She got up and walked towards her daughter’s room as she called out, “I’m coming, baby. I’ll be right there.”

After Carol had walked up the steps and Therese could no longer see her, Therese closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch. She let out a sigh and opened her eyes. She tried to rewind the past five minutes in her head. Just seconds ago, she was being held by the most gorgeous woman she had ever known. She had been held by Carol. And now she was left in the wake of the feelings that came with being so very close to feeling Carol’s lips against her own. Therese tried to bring herself to the present, begging her brain to lift whatever fog was hanging over her. Slowly, she was able to recall Rindy’s distant voice, and Carol’s going to her.

Therese gave herself enough time to let her breathing return to normal, and got up off of the couch to check on Carol and Rindy. When she reached the foot of the steps, she could hear Carol’s soothing voice speaking calmly to Rindy, saying, “It’s okay, baby. We’ll get you all cleaned up. I know you don’t feel well, sweetheart, but I’m here.”

Although the situation was unfortunate, Therese warmed at hearing Carol being so nurturing towards her daughter. As she approached Rindy’s room, she could see Carol stripping the bed while Rindy laid in a plush armchair in the corner of her room, wrapped in a blanket.  

“Carol? Can I help?” Carol jumped at Therese’s voice, which surprised Therese. Carol was not usually a jumpy woman.

“Oh, Therese. You startled me. No, no, we’re okay. You don’t have to stay here.”

Therese could tell that Carol was flustered. She was determined to show Carol that she could depend on Therese, that she could show Therese that she had been thrown off balance and trust Therese to help reel her back in. “Here,” Therese said as she approached Carol and started to grab Rindy’s bedding from her, “Let me take these to the wash.”

“Therese, you don’t need to do that. They’re covered in throw up, Rindy got sick.”

Therese placed one of her hands on Carol’s shoulder and looked into her eyes. “Let me help you, Carol. Let me be here. It’s okay.”

Carol momentarily stopped moving and looked down to the floor. She whispered. “Okay. If you go past the kitchen and into the hallway, you’ll find the washroom at the end of the hall on the left. If you need help finding anything, just yell and I’ll come down.” Therese understood that it had been difficult for Carol to allow her to help, and she felt proud of Carol for giving in to her.

Therese carefully folded the bedding up so that her hands didn’t come into contact with anything and made her way to the washroom.

***************

Carol brought a wet wash cloth to help clean Rindy up with. After she had helped her daughter change into new pajamas and had cleaned her with the cloth, she held her daughter on the chair Rindy had previously sat on. “My baby,” she whispered into Rindy’s ear as she brought the back of her hand up to Rindy’s forehead, “You’re burning up.”

“I don’t feel good, momma.”

“I know you don’t, baby. Is anything else hurting or is it just your tummy?”

As Rindy whispered that her head was hurting her too, she heard Therese’s footsteps nearing the door. Therese walked into the room and asked, “Where do you keep Rindy’s bedding? And do you have any Pedialyte we could give her to sip on?”

Carol was momentarily lost for words. Therese was so in control of this situation, and Carol found herself being comforted by Therese.

“It’s in the hall closet. And there’s some in the fridge, I think. There’s a water bottle in one of the cabinets, it’s blue and has a little straw on the top. Use that for the juice.”

“Is she running a fever? Do you have anything for a fever?”

“Yeah, she is. In the kitchen, in the cabinet that’s above the stove, there’s a box of children’s medicine. There should be some Tylenol or Motrin in there.”

Therese turned to head towards the kitchen, “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait. Therese?”

Therese stopped and turned back towards Carol. With tears in her eyes, Carol whispered, “Thank you, Therese. Really.”

Therese smiled, and Carol was once again caught by the pull of her dimples. Therese said, “You’re welcome”, and headed towards the kitchen.

***************

Therese had gone to the kitchen first, and came back to Carol and Rindy with some Pedialyte for Rindy to drink, and some Motrin to break her fever. Therese found Carol gently brushing hair out of Rindy’s face and humming a sweet song for her. She handed Carol the water bottle and she opened up the Motrin to fill a syringe with the appropriate dosage.

“Here baby, take a couple of sips,” Carol said as she pressed the straw of the bottle to Rindy’s lips. As Rindy was sipping on her drink, Carol turned her attention to Therese. “You’re a life saver, you know that? I mean, I could’ve handled this, but you’re making this so much easier, Therese. You’re just … I mean … God, I’m just lucky.”

Therese felt the familiar glow come to her cheeks. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she simply smiled instead. She silently handed the syringe to Carol, then went to get Rindy’s bed things out of the hall closet. She came back into Rindy’s room to find Rindy slowly sipping from her water bottle and an empty syringe on the table beside the chair she and Carol were situated on.

As Therese was making the bed, she heard Rindy start to gag. Between Rindy’s heaves, her small voice came out, choked and hoarse, “Momma, I’m gonna throw up.”

Carol was trying to get out of the chair to take Rindy to the bathroom, but found it difficult to get up, as she’d somehow managed to get tangled in Rindy’s blanket.

Therese jumped into motion and sprinted to Carol, gently lifting Rindy off of her lap.  
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” she said as she rushed to the bathroom, carrying a burning Rindy.

Just as Rindy was about to be sick, Therese situated her so that she was sitting on her lap, her head over the toilet. As Rindy retched, Carol came in to Therese’s view, standing in the door frame, watching the two of them.

***************

Carol saw Therese holding Rindy’s hair back, and her sweet girl, who was so sick, sitting on Therese’s lap. Both were sitting on bathroom floor together, and Carol couldn’t help but to cry from what she was seeing. As the tears ran down Carol’s cheek, she stood motionless to watch the sweetness that was Therese comforting her sick child.

As Rindy came down from her bout of sickness, Therese grabbed a towel hanging on the towel rack and dabbed it at Rindy’s mouth. Rindy turned back to Therese and wrapped her arms around her neck, grabbing fistfuls of Therese’s shirt in her tiny hands to cling to her. Therese rocked her back and forth, still sitting on the bathroom floor.

Carol kneeled on the floor beside Therese and Rindy and ran her fingers through Rindy’s hair.

“Are you tired, baby?” Carol asked Rindy. She had heard Rindy’s breathing slow and noticed that her hands had loosened their grip on Therese’s shirt. Rindy nodded, and Carol whispered to Therese, “Can you stay here and rock her while I make her bed? I’ll only be a second.”

“Of course,” Therese whispered back.

While she was making Rindy’s bed, Carol could not wrap her mind around the fact that this beautiful, young woman had so willingly thrown herself head first into one of the yuckiest parts of caring for a child. Therese had shown her willingness to help and had taken charge when Carol herself was unable to. Carol was not sure she would be able to express her gratitude to Therese without breaking down in the process.

She walked back into the bathroom and found Therese rocking her now sleeping Rindy, scratching her back slowly as she did. Therese turned to see Carol and managed to stand up without waking Rindy. It surprised Carol to see how strong Therese looked, so easily standing while holding her sleeping daughter.

Carol walked to the side of Rindy’s bed and Therese followed her. Carol folded down the blankets, and Therese laid Rindy down on the bed so slowly and gently that Carol stood amazed, watching the process. Carol pulled the bedsheet over her daughter to give her some cover, but left the comforter off her to keep her from overheating. Afraid to wake her, Carol decided against giving her a kiss on the forehead and instead turned to Therese.  

“I should go,” said Therese in a hushed voice.

“If I wasn’t planning on sleeping in here with Rindy, I would tell you to stay.” Carol immediately regretted saying this. It sounded like she meant that she would’ve brought Therese to bed if Rindy wasn’t sick. “I … I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just …,” Carol stammered, trying to back track.

Therese smiled and softly laughed, “I know, I know. Will you be okay tonight?”

“I think you’ve set us up for success, Therese,” Carol said through a smile. She caught Therese’s laughter, and her heart lifted. “But seriously, Therese, I can’t thank you enough.”

Therese moved closer to her and took her hands into her own. She looked into Carol’s eyes. “Thank you for letting me help you, Carol.” Before Carol could respond, Therese kissed her cheek, let go of her hands, and turned for the door.

Before she left the room, Therese turned back to Carol, and, her voice still in a whisper, said, “Carol? I’m ‘just lucky’ too.”

***************

Therese woke up early the next morning (or what was early for her, anyway), and immediately grabbed her phone to check on Rindy and Carol. She typed out a text and sent it.

_Therese: Hope Rindy is feeling better today. Let me know how the night went when you have a chance._

Being a Sunday, Therese wasn’t expected at the shelter today, so she decided to catch up on housekeeping and laundry. While she was folding her last load of freshly laundered clothes, she heard her phone ringing. Running to her bedroom to catch it, she had to take a few deep breaths before she answered the call that her phone screen let her know was from Carol.

Therese tried to sound calm, like she hadn’t almost killed herself to run across the house to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Therese. Hi. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine. How are you? How is Rindy?”

“I’m tired. Exhausted, actually. I’ve been sleeping on and off all day, between trying to get things done. Rindy’s sleeping at the moment. She had a seriously rough night, poor thing. But she hasn’t thrown up since about 5 this morning, so I think we’re on the mend.”

“Gosh Carol, that sounds awful. For you and Rindy both. I felt so bad for her last night, she was so pitiful. Can I help you do anything? I don’t mind doing a few things for you while you catch up on sleep.”

“I think I’m okay, darling. I’m going to try to stay up for the rest of the day so that I don’t mess my sleep schedule up. I’ve got a big presentation to a potential client tomorrow, so I’ve got to be my best for that.”

“Alright, well let me know if you change your mind. I’m not busy today, so really, I’d be glad to help.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I believe I’m scheduled to volunteer tomorrow, so I suppose I’ll see you at 5, then.”

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow at 5, Carol.”

There was a pause in the conversation.

“Bye, Therese.”

“Bye, Carol.”

***************

As Therese was making dinner later that day, she heard a knock on her door that signaled Dannie’s arrival to her house.

She opened the door to see Dannie in his typical attire, with a twelve-pack in tow.

Therese waved him in and as they went to the kitchen, he said, “I confess, Belivet. I’m in love. I’ve found the one.”

Therese couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud. “Right, I’m going to indulge you and pretend that you didn’t say the same exact thing about the last 10 women you slept around with.”

“No seriously! She’s great! She made me breakfast this morning, and I’m telling you Therese, if for nothing else, I need this woman around for her pancakes. They’re light as air.”

“Is that a euphemism?” Therese asked, not skipping a beat.

Dannie chuckled. “Alright, smart ass. I see where you’re taking this. Okay, so maybe we’ve only been on three dates, but I waited until the third to sleep with her, and that’s something for me!”

“Okay, okay. What’s her name? What does she do? Spill the beans.”

While Dannie told Therese about his new lover, Therese found herself feeling happy for Dannie. She started to suspect that she herself might finally be understanding the feeling of falling in love.

After they had drank three beers a piece, and Dannie had told Therese all the details she inquired about, he turned the conversation towards her.

“So, this Carol. What’s the thing with her? You went on the date, and now what’s the deal?”

“Alright, well, the thing, as you so aptly called it, is that the date was wonderful, and I went to her house yesterday and spent basically all day with her.”

“Okay, and?”

“And what?” Dannie looked at her like the answer to his question was obvious. “Honestly, Dannie. I don’t know what you’re getting at.”

“God, Therese. The kiss! The freaking kiss! How was it?”

Therese looked down at the floor. “Yeah, well that’s the thing. We haven’t kissed yet.” As Dannie started to interject, she put her hand up to stop him. “If you would shut up and listen, I’ll explain it to you. We almost kissed last night. Like, she told me she couldn’t stop herself from kissing me and I told her not to try. I was so ready for it. But then her daughter got sick. So, you know. Moment ruined kind of thing.”

“Her kid got sick? When you were about to kiss? Okay, so then what? You couldn’t kiss after?”

“Well, it’s like I said. The moment was kind of over. I mean, I still wanted to kiss her, but she was so stressed and Rindy was so sick. It just wasn’t the right time. I want it to happen at the right time.”

A goofy grin came across Dannie’s face. Therese lightly hit him on the shoulder. “What are you looking at me like that for?!”

“Oh, nothing T. You’ve just become quite the hopeless romantic, haven’t you?”

Therese just smiled and shook her head ‘no’, although she was almost certain that Dannie was right.

***************

After Carol had cleaned her house, prepared Rindy’s lunches for the week, done the laundry, and secured a sitter for tomorrow so that Rindy could stay home from school and rest, she felt utterly tired. Staying up with Rindy last night had exhausted her, and she’d spent a large portion of her day going over her client presentation while she did the household chores. She laid in her bed and breathed a sigh of relief that the day was finally over.

Carol thought of the previous day and how sweet Therese had been with Rindy. She hadn’t properly thanked her, but she wanted to. Even if that meant getting emotional in front of her.

 Carol closed her eyes to try to get some sleep, but found that her heart was aching for Therese, who she had talked to only hours ago, and seen just last night.

Feeling impulsive, she grabbed her phone from her nightside table and dialed Therese’s number.

Therese answered on the third ring. “Hello? Carol?”

Carol could tell that she’d woken Therese up by the sleep she could hear in her voice. “I’m so sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“No, no, don’t go. I usually don’t fall asleep this early. Dannie came over and we got a little tipsy and I fell asleep on the couch after he left. I’m glad you called, my back would be killing me if I spent all night on this couch.”

Carol laughed at Therese’s honesty. “Therese being tipsy. That’s something I’d like to see one day.”

“Ha, well it doesn’t take much. I’m really a lightweight. I’m just a silly drunk, nothing serious.”  
“Well color me surprised, innocent Therese Belivet is a lightweight” Carol said in a mocking tone. She heard Therese’s sweet laughter, and felt her heart beat faster.

“Oh hush. I’m not always innocent. I can be bold sometimes.”

“Hmmm, we’ll have to see about that, Therese. You’ll have to show me how bold you can be.”  
“I’m supposed to be seeing you tomorrow. Maybe I’ll show you then.”

Carol was surprised at how flirtatious Therese was being. It seemed to Carol that Therese was being quite bold in this moment, if she was interpreting Therese correctly.

“Well, darling. I’ve got to get to bed. I’m sorry to bother you, but I was needing to hear your voice before I went to bed.” Carol could hear Therese breathe out heavily and could imagine the smile that came with it. “My, is that a growing blush that I hear creeping up someone’s cheeks?”

By Therese’s laughter, she knew she’d guessed correctly. “I’ll never tell,” Therese said through her laughter. “Goodnight, Carol. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Therese. Sleep well.”


	10. What a Bold Girl You Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time writing this chapter and changed it (MAJORLY) like three different times, before deciding that I wanted to stay with this take. So for real, your thoughts, input, and feedback would be AWESOME. 
> 
> Thank you to all of the wonderful people who have continuously supported me, you are all so great, and you make me smile SO FREAKING MUCH. 
> 
> Enjoy and happy holidays!!

Carol woke up at her typical early hour to prepare herself for the day. She practiced her presentation aloud, and in her head, at least 15 times before she arrived to work to partake in the morning meditation session. After the stress of yesterday, Carol found her meditation session to be a much-needed release from the stress of the weekend. And aside from her mind occasionally straying to a certain green-eyed brunette, Carol was able to stay quite focused and present.

After she had gone up to her office and changed into her business attire, she began practicing her answers to some of the questions she was expecting to follow the presentation. During the middle of answering one of the questions aloud, Jeanette knocked on Carol’s door.

“Come in,” Carol said distractedly.

“Morning, sweetie. The big guys are here. Johnathon’s getting them set up in the conference room. They’ll be expecting you in the next 5 to 10 minutes. I’ve got your presentation all set up and your notes in front of your seat. There’s a bottle of water and a notepad and pen in case you need it.”

“Seriously, what would I do without you, Jeanette? You’re the best.” Jeanette laughed as she shut Carol’s office door to let her have a few moments of privacy.

Carol was no stranger to client presentations. She wasn’t unnerved by them, either. Carol had always found it easy to deliver her message in a clear, concise, and impressive manner. Her presentations to potential clients were always persuasive and typically led to another contract gained by the C.R. Consulting Group. Highly critical top-level executives found themselves intimidated by a woman as confident and self-possessed as Carol Aird.

Shoulders back and head held high, Carol walked into the conference room. “Good morning. Shall we get started?” At this minimal statement, Carol demanded the attention of the room, and for the remainder of the presentation, her small audience was engrossed in her delivery.

When Carol asked if there were any questions at the end of her presentation, the president of the organization stood from her chair and said, “Damn, Carol. You give one hell of a show. There’s no discussion. We’ll be submitting a request for proposal tomorrow. The gig is yours.” Carol smiled as she shook the woman’s hand.

***************

Finally having a minute to sit and eat her lunch, Therese pulled out her phone. She had remembered that Carol had an important presentation today and wanted to let her know that she was thinking about her, so she sent a text.

_Therese: I hope your presentation went well. I’m sure you were wonderful._

She was surprised to hear her phone buzzing to signal that a text message had been received only minutes later.

_Carol: It went wonderfully. Another contract secured._

_Therese: How could they say no to a woman like you?_

_Carol: And what is a woman like me, Therese Belivet?_

Therese smiled. She both loved and hated Carol’s teasing.

_Therese: Maybe I’ll explain that later. You know, when I’m being bold._

_Carol: I’ll be waiting._

_Therese: Yeah? Will you be thinking of me?_

Therese felt silly asking the question, but she was genuinely curious about if Carol thought about her throughout the day.

_Carol: Oh, Therese. You have no idea. I’ll see you soon._

Therese could feel her thighs start to tingle. She wasn’t even sure that Carol had meant it in an erotic way, but allowed herself to go there with it anyway. Therese had found herself daydreaming about intimate situations with Carol at an increasing rate. She had thought about sex previously (after all, she was human), but she had never found herself consumed with the wanting, the desire, the almost need to be touched by someone else. She had never experienced an orgasm at the hands of someone else, but Therese had always felt satisfied by the reaction her body had to her own hands. Lately though, when she touched herself, she thought of Carol. She pretended her hands were Carol’s, caressing her breasts, feeling her wetness, bringing her right to the edge, then delivering her over it. During the daytime, it embarrassed her to think back on all the things she had imagined Carol doing to her. At night, however, it became almost a ritualistic act for her to think of Carol and allow herself to fantasize without holding back.

Thinking of Carol in this way made Therese feel that a fever had come over her body. It was easy for her to get lost in those thoughts, in those desires. As scared as Therese was to lose control of her body in that way in front of Carol, she already felt that she almost needed that release from Carol.

***************

Leaving work, Carol called Rindy’s babysitter to check on her daughter. With the babysitter reporting that Rindy had been feeling better and was now sleeping, Carol felt a bit better about going to the shelter. Her body had been electrified by Therese’s desire to be “bold” with her. After Carol had made it through her presentation, she struggled to keep her mind off Therese for the rest of the day. Therese’s texts only furthered these thoughts.  When she eventually gave in and let her mind wonder fully, she lifted her eyes some time later to see that she’d spent a whole hour staring at her computer screen, doing nothing but thinking of Therese.

Before she left for work, she changed into a worn long sleeve shirt, a pair of women’s jogger pants, and her favorite pair of tennis shoes. She didn’t look her best, but she decided that it didn’t matter; if she was being honest with herself, she knew that Therese was smitten with her enough to not give a damn at all what she wore.

As soon as she stepped into the shelter, Carol’s eyes located Therese. She was busy finishing up with a difficult customer, and as much as Carol wanted to stand and just observe how confident Therese appeared in this situation, she didn’t want to distract her. Carol instead went to carry out the procedures that Therese had showed her during her previous volunteer session. She grabbed a few leads to take out the younger, more hyper dogs, and went to their kennels. As she was walking the dogs around the yard, a young dark-haired man approached her. From a distance, she could hear his voice, coming at her sharply.

“What’s your fucking game?”

Carol was taken back. “Excuse me? Who are you? What are you talking about?”

“With Therese. She’s not a dyke like you. What are you doing to her?”

Carol was thrown off, but her face didn’t show it. She remained resolute in the face of this attack on her by a stranger.

“Look, I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. What Therese does in her private life is not your business.”

The man came nearer to her, and only then did Carol begin to think that this situation could end in her physical harm.

“Listen, faggot. Therese is the love of my life. I’ll be damned if some dried up old hag like you tries to take her from me.” Carol noticed Dannie running towards her and he appeared as a beacon of safety to her in this moment. The man in front of her continued to spit fowl words at her, but she drowned them out, forcing herself to focus in Dannie instead.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Richard?!” Dannie yelled. And with his name said aloud, Carol understood everything.

***************

Therese was still in her office, having a panic attack. Richard had come into her office, screaming obscenities about her sexuality and her relationship with Carol. In his unreasonable state, he had pushed Therese up against one of the walls of her office and yelled in her face, threating her with anything he could think of. Richard had scared Therese terribly. Still screaming in her face, he let her know that he was aware that Carol’s car was outside, that he knew she was here. That he was going to find her.

As Richard raised a hand to hit Therese, Dannie grabbed his neck, pulling him off Therese in one swift motion. Dannie punched Richard hard, then went to Therese to make sure she hadn’t been physically harmed. Seeing this as his opportunity, Richard ran out of the shelter and into the dog yards, looking for Carol.

Therese was unsure how long she had sat on the floor rocking herself back and forth in a state of utter panic before she heard Dannie and Carol’s voices approaching. She could hear Dannie’s voice coming nearer to her, but he sounded as if he was underwater.

“Therese? Hey, look at me, Therese. It’s okay, he’s gone. T, look at me.”

Therese found it impossible to stop rocking or to stop her hands from shaking.

Then she saw Carol sitting on the floor across from her. She felt her hands upon her shoulders. And she heard her voice coming to her, a little bit clearer than Dannie’s had.

“It’s okay, Therese. I’m here. Look at me, sweetheart. Meet my eyes and stay right here with me. When I squeeze your shoulders, breathe in with me. When I let go, breathe out.” As Therese followed Carol’s instructions, she felt her heartrate coming back down. She felt her hands start to steady. Then she heard Carol again, this time her voice as clear as ever, “Good girl, Therese. He’s gone, baby. You’re okay now. I’m right here with you.”

Therese started to talk, “I’m sorry, I just got so nervous. I don’t know what’s … I don’t know why … I’m just sorry that-”

Carol cut her off, “Don’t apologize, Therese.” Her voice was somehow firm and soft at the same time. “None of this was your fault. Your reaction was completely natural. He would’ve scared anyone out of their wits. Hell, he scared me too.”

Dannie interjected her, “I never liked the guy, but he’s a real piece of shit Therese. I swear to God, if I see him again, his ass is as good as dead. T.”

Therese laughed, “Dannie, don’t kill him. If for no other reason, I can’t afford to have you in jail and missing work.” Her spirits lifted, and her body calming down, Therese got up, Carol’s hands falling off of her shoulders.

“T, why don’t you go home and let me finish things here?” Dannie asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Dannie. I’m fine.”

And with that, Therese walked past Carol and Dannie, leaving her office and going back to work.

***************

Carol turned to Dannie and asked, “Do you think she’s okay? I mean that was crazy.”

“Yeah, crazy is one word to describe it. I think she would tell us if she wasn’t okay, though.”

Carol was not so sure that this was the case, but she decided to give Therese time to herself to process what had just happened.

Nearing 7, Dannie said goodnight to Carol and told her that Therese would be back in after she had put Evelyn and Rosco to bed (i.e., in a few more minutes). Carol busied herself with the cats until she heard the back door open and close. She turned to see Therese staring at her. She waited for Therese to speak, then eventually realized that she would have to start this conversation herself.

“So, you left out the part about Richard being bat shit crazy.” Both of the women laughed, but Carol wanted Therese to know that she wasn’t trying to make a joke out of what happened, so she said, “I’m kidding Therese. But I swear, if I would’ve came back in here to find that he had physically hurt you, I don’t think I could’ve stopped myself from kicking his ass.”

Therese smiled. “Are you telling me that I’m worthy of Carol Aird dishing out an ass kicking?”

Carol came closer to Therese, “That and so much more, my dear.”

Therese flushed and took Carol’s hand. She met her eyes as she whispered, “Let’s go to my office.”

***************

Carol followed Therese, her heart beating faster than she could recall it ever beating. She stepped into Therese’s office and stood in the middle of her office floor, waiting for Therese to make a move. Therese turned to shut the door, and Carol took a seat on Therese’s couch.

Therese turned back towards Carol, and closed the gap between them, moving towards her until she was standing right in front of Carol, her legs touching Carol’s. Carol leaned forward and ran her hands up Therese’s legs, bringing them up to the younger’s woman’s waist. She could feel Therese breathing hard, she could see her struggling to keep her composure. Carol let her hands fall and leaned back into the couch. “Therese, we don’t have to do this now. I know what just happened was traumatic. There’s no pressure to come back from that immediately, or even ever, really.”

Therese met her eyes. “I need this now. Please.”

Carol paused, then whispered back to Therese, “Be bold, baby.”

Therese did not hesitate. She moved onto the couch, her legs straddling Carol. She had crouched down so that her butt was resting on Carol’s legs, and she had brought her hands up to Carol’s shoulders. Carol moved her hands back to Therese’s waist. Therese leaned in to kiss Carol, and Carol’s breath caught in her throat. Their lips almost touched, but before they did, Therese pulled back and smiled cheekily at a breathless Carol. Carol’s own smile formed on her lips as she whispered, “Therese Belivet, are you teasing me?”

Therese grabbed Carols hands from her waist. She slowly brought them up over Carol’s head and pushed them lightly against the wall, leaving Carol at her mercy. “Maybe,” Therese whispered back with a smile on her face.

As Therese neared Carol for a kiss, Carol knew that this would be the moment. For a few seconds, she could feel Therese losing her nerve. She could hear Therese struggling to breathe, could feel her body trembling against hers. Carol debated on taking control of the situation, but when she felt Therese’s confidence return as she squeezed her hands, she ultimately gave the reigns to Therese.

Therese’s lips brushed against Carol’s lightly before they inevitably collided. Lost in the feeling, Therese dropped Carol’s hands, and wrapped her arms around Carol’s neck. Not conscious of her own movements, Therese pushed her center into Carol’s torso, and Carol could hear her trying to stifle a whimper. Their lips met again, and this time Carol pushed her tongue forward, and felt Therese do the same. Carol pulled back from Therese slightly, so that she could use her teeth to tug at Therese’s bottom lip. Carol could feel Therese’s need radiating from her.

Wrapping her arms around Therese’s bottom, Carol effortlessly stood and, while carrying Therese, walked to Therese’s desk to sit Therese down on the desktop and position herself between Therese’s legs. Carol looked up to meet Therese’s eyes. “My, what a bold girl you are.”


	11. What Am I To You?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer - This chapter is short compared to some of the others (there's a lot of dialogue). 
> 
> Forgive my absence, I have been crazy busy with the holidays and applying to a million internships per day, trying to find one for the summer. 
> 
> I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season thus far and that you all have a safe and happy New Years. 
> 
> Anywho, we're picking up right where we left off. Enjoy and let me know what you think. And as always, thank you so much for reading. 
> 
> (Unrelated, if anyone works for a company that is looking for an OD, I/O Psych, HR (or related field) intern, PLEASE LET ME KNOW)

Therese heard Carol’s voice coming to her, sounding ridiculously sexy. “My, what a bold girl you are.”

Therese wrapped her legs around Carol’s waist to draw her nearer to her. Therese sharply inhaled when she felt Carol’s body press against her center. She saw a smile come across Carol’s lips. “I’m trying to be.” She grabbed fistfuls of the collar of Carol’s shirt and pulled her closer to her. “You’re not making it very easy for me.”

A smirk played at the corners of Carol’s lips. “Hmm, is that so?” Carol leaned in so that her lips brushed across Therese’s as she whispered, “What am I doing to distract you?” She kissed Therese so deeply that when she pulled away, Therese was visibly and audibly struggling to catch her breath.

“I think you know just what you’re doing,” Therese said when she was able to speak. Carol roughly pressed her lips against Therese’s once more. The need pulsing through both of them was intense and serious. For Therese, it was almost too much to handle. She felt lightheaded from the way that she couldn’t keep breathing when Carol kissed her. As cliché as it was, Carol really did take her breath away.

Carol pulled back and kissed Therese’s jawline, making her way to her ear. Once there, she whispered, “Enlighten me anyway, baby.” She grabbed Therese’s earlobe between her teeth and gently tugged, eliciting a small moan from Therese. Therese was thoroughly embarrassed by her inability to stifle herself. Carol wanted to show her there was nothing to be embarrassed of, so she put her hands on Therese’s face, and looked into her eyes. “Tell me what you’re feeling, Therese. I want you to say it to me.” Therese blushed furiously, but she wouldn’t crumble now, not after she herself had made the first move on Carol.

“Well … I … Carol, you make me …” Therese was stumbling on her words. Still slightly breathless, her brain was not moving fast enough. All she could think about was wanting Carol, needing her hands on her, all over her. She could feel the burning wetness blossoming between her legs and she knew with certainty that she had never been this wet or this turned on in her life.

Carol purred in her ear, “What do I make you, baby?”

As Carol licked up the length of her neck, Therese whispered back, “Wet. You make me so wet.”

“Mmm, good girl,” Carol said as she moved her mouth back to Therese’s, their lips moving in unison and their tongues crashing.

Therese let go of the part of herself that felt embarrassed. It wasn’t that she was feeling particularly courageous in this moment, she was simply so turned on by the goddess before her that the part of her brain that would’ve made her feel self-conscious evaporated away. She moaned openly into Carol’s mouth and reached her hands to Carol’s breasts, feeling them over her shirt. Carol sharply inhaled, then quickly pulled back. Therese dropped her hands, “Carol, I’m sorry, I … I didn’t mean to ruin this, I should have asked.”

Carol smiled sweetly, with desire written all over her face. “No, no, it’s not that.” She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. “Therese, I can’t tell you enough how much I want you right now. Trust me, there’s nothing I’d love more than to take you home and just …” Carol let the thought trail off. She decided it would be better not to finish the sentence. “But we should wait. I mean, I don’t think we should do this here or now. I want to know you so much more, Therese. I want you to understand that you’re not just some fling to me and if we did this now, I’m afraid that’s what you would think.”

As much as Therese wanted to protest and tell Carol that she needed her now, she knew that Carol was right. They had so much to learn about each other, and to first understand Carol as a person, then enjoy her body later, would make it all that much sweeter.

Therese reached out her hand to grab Carol’s. She tugged on her hand and Carol came back to her, standing between Therese’s legs just as she had done before. But where before there was the urgency of physically needing each other, the moment had turned into a sweetness that was so tender, Therese was afraid she might cry. Carol wrapped her arms around Therese and pulled her into her chest. “Are you okay, Therese?”

“Yes. I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m just trying to breathe. And trying to get my head out of the gutter.”

Carol laughed at Therese, who was always surprising her. “You’re adorable. And sexy. You’re seriously sexy, Therese.”

Carol could hear Therese’s smile in her voice as she playfully retorted, “Yeah, you’re average, I suppose.” Carol gave her a gentle shove as they both laughed, and Therese said, “I’m kidding. I wouldn’t say that if you didn’t already know the effect you have on me.”

Carol pulled back from Therese and looked at her watch. “Therese, I know this is horrible timing, but I need to be getting home.” Therese looked down at her lap, saddened at the thought of Carol leaving. “But I don’t think you should stay at your house alone tonight, given what happened with Richard today. I think you should come home with me.”

***************

Carol was aware of how ridiculous it sounded to be asking Therese to come home with her when only moments before, she was telling her that it was too soon to go to bed with her. “I don’t mean like that, I just mean that I’d be worried about you all night if you go home alone. I’m afraid he’ll hurt you. Will you come home with me?”

Carol could see Therese thinking and trying to make a decision. “I’ll come home with you, Carol. But I don’t have any pajamas or anything.”

“Don’t worry about that, you can borrow whatever you need.” Carol paused, then added, “Come on. Let’s get out of here before I throw you on the couch and have my way with you.” She winked back at Therese who was rendered motionless.

After they had driven back to Carol’s house in their separate cars, Carol sent the sitter home and checked on Rindy, who was still sound asleep.

Carol and Therese sat down at the dinner table, munching on a random assortment of snacks and leftovers that Carol had laid out for them.

“What’s your family like, Therese?”

“Family? Oh, I don’t have much family now,” Therese said, and Carol could tell that she was still feeling distracted from earlier. “My dad passed away when I was 18 and my mother left early on, I don’t have any memories of her. I don’t talk to either of their families much and I have no siblings, so I don’t suppose I really have a family, per say. But I consider Dannie’s family as my own. They really took me in over the years. Especially his mom. God, she was practically a mother to me. And they were so helpful when my dad passed.”

Carol was delighted to hear Therese revealing the details of her life, but it broke her heart to think that Therese was quite alone. “Were you close to your father?”

“We were very close. He raised me on a farm that he inherited from his own father and taught me all about the animals. Farm life wasn’t for me, so when he passed, I sold it off, but he certainly sparked my passion for animals.”

“I see. I’m so sorry that he isn’t here anymore, Therese. You had to grow up at such a young age.”

Therese paused and chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s been hard, that’s for sure. But life doesn’t stop, you know? Heartbreak doesn’t stop the world from spinning.”

Carol was stilled by Therese’s wisdom and insight, especially coming from someone so young. “What’s your family like?” Therese asked her.

“Well, my father lives in Washington. My mother passed away years ago, but we had a terrible relationship, so there was truly nothing lost there, as awful as that sounds. And I have a sister, Elaine. She has three kids of her own and a career, so she stays busy.”

“Do you talk to your father?”

“We talk on the phone several times a week. I’d like to go see him soon.”

“Does he look like you? Your dad?”

“Do I look like him, yes – more than like my mother.”

Silence filled the space between them and Carol looked at Therese to see her smiling. Therese’s dimples were so sweet that Carol couldn’t help but to smile herself. “What are you smiling at?”

“Oh nothing. Just, it’s strange to think of you with a family.”

Carol cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

“Because I just think of you as you. _Sui generis_.”

***************

After Carol and Therese had finished their strangely assorted dinner and cleaned up, they were left in the silence that surrounded Carol’s quiet home.

“So,” Therese said, with no plans to add more to this sentence. Therese was bothered by silence in a way that was unfamiliar to Carol.

“So,” replied Carol, with a smirk. She could tell that Therese was uncomfortable with the present activity, which was the two of them sitting across the table from one another and staring at each other.

“What do we do now?” Therese asked.

Carol laughed softly at Therese, who could be so wise, but so innocent and child-like at the same time. “What would you like to do?”

Therese looked around the room. “I’d like to know more about you.”

“What would you like to know?”

There was no pause between Carol’s question and Therese’s answer. “What do you think of me? I mean, what am I to you?”

Carol looked at Therese with a serious expression, one that did not reveal her answer to Therese at all. “Would you like to go sit on the couch?”

“Will you answer my question then?”

Carol stood from her chair and stepped towards Therese, extending her hand out to her. When Therese had placed her hand in Carol’s, she said, “Yes, I’ll answer your question then,” as she led them to the couch.

Carol sat down first, and Therese sat down beside her. They were angled towards each other so that their knees were touching but their bodies were not. They looked at each other and Therese thought that perhaps Carol had forgotten about her question. “Carol, I want to know what you think of me.”

“I haven’t forgotten, Therese. I just,” Carol paused with a sigh. She continued, “Give me a moment to think of how I want to say this.”

A hush fell over them as Therese’s mind raced. Where before she had felt confident that her feelings for Carol were requited, with Carol’s statement, she felt nervous that Carol would tell her that she didn’t want to see her anymore. Her thoughts continued to circle down the dark hole that is self-doubt, but she was brought back by Carol’s thoughtful voice.

“Therese, I … I like you. I like you so much.” Carol was looking down at her lap, and Therese could see the slightest of blushes on her cheeks. “Maybe it’s premature to tell you these things, but I’ll tell you because you asked.” Carol hesitated, then went on, “You’ve made me feel like a teenager, Therese. All day, I think of you. I wonder what you’re doing or how you look or what supremely fortunate person is getting to see those dimples that I seem to be constantly picturing when I’m not with you. Getting to kiss you was just … I mean, I’ve wanted to do that since the second I saw you.” Carol reached out and grabbed Therese’s hand. They looked into each other eyes, and with Carol’s vulnerable admission of her feelings for Therese, she could see Therese’s own vulnerability showing into her eyes.

Therese’s smile was breathtaking. She could not hide the happiness that Carol’s disclosure had brought out in her. She leaned forward to Carol. There was no urgency within Therese. They knew they had all the time in the world, and there was a slowness in Therese’s movements that let the two women bathe in the feeling of anticipation. Before their lips fully collided, they looked at one another and let their lips brush together. This time Carol was left breathless as Therese used her tongue to trace Carol’s bottom lip, then pulled her in for a passionate kiss.

When they parted, their foreheads rested together. Carol reached her fingers to Therese’s lips to trace them slowly. Marveling at the softness underneath her fingertips, Carol could not hold the sentiment back that she had though of so long ago. “My angel,” she said in a whisper. “Flung out of space.”


	12. Don't Fight It, Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'll be honest, this chapter is probably not THE most exciting one I've written, but I wanted to get a deeper look into Carol's life with this one. Let me your thoughts about it. 
> 
> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope everyone is having a safe, fun New Years night!! May 2018 bring great things for all of us!! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!! Leave me a comment and I'll send you money! 
> 
> Just kidding, I'm poor. But leave me a comment and I'll appreciate you forever - a priceless gift!!

Therese opened her eyes to see magnificent blue eyes so close to her that she felt like she was drowning in a beautiful ocean. She couldn’t help but to ask in a whisper, “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Carol pulled back in surprise. “What? Baby, no.” Therese’s face revealed the hurt she felt by Carol’s rejection. She felt Carol’s fingers under her chin pulling it up so that Therese would look into her eyes. “Therese, it’s not that. You don’t understand how many times I’ve thought about taking you to bed with me. But I know that I won’t be able to keep my hands off of you.” She paused, then softly asked, “Am I hurting you?”

Therese couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “No. This is just so crazy. I mean, I’ve never felt like this. I always thought it was crazy that so many people rush into these things, but I’ve tried to sleep with you twice already tonight.”

Carol tossed her head back in laughter. “God you’re adorable.” She kissed Therese’s forehead gingerly.

“So, since you forbid me from sleeping with you tonight,” Therese said playfully, “should I sleep down here on the couch?”

“No,” Carol said, exaggerating the word. “You can sleep in the guest bedroom. Come on, I’ll be a good hostess and show you to your room.”

Therese followed Carol to the guest bedroom. It was impossible for her not to watch the graceful swaying of Carol’s ass as she walked up the steps in front of her. They stepped inside the guest bedroom and Carol whispered, so as not to wake Rindy, who was sleeping down the hall.

“Your chambers await you, my dear,” Carol said jokingly. “I’ll grab you some pajamas.”

Waiting for Carol to return to her, Therese looked at the lush furniture around her. The oversized bed with a beautifully embroidered comforter and more pillows atop it than Therese suspected she even owned in total. A sleek armchair with a soft throw laid over it sat in one of the corners of the room, with a rustic lamp standing next to it. Therese could not believe she was sleeping in Carol’s house tonight, only right down the hall from where Carol herself would be sleeping. Feeling curious, Therese opened one of the two doors in the room and was surprised. She expected to find a closet, but she found a charming bathroom, outfitted with a clawfoot tub (like the one she dreamed of owning). She stepped out of the bathroom to find Carol laying some pajamas on the bed.

“There’s plenty of shower things and towels under the sink if you’d like to take a bath tonight or in the morning.”

“I’ll have to take you up on it, that tub is exactly the one I’ve been dreaming of owning for practically forever.”

Carol’s smile was cunning. “Well, you’re welcome to come back and use it whenever you like.”

Therese looked down at her feet and looked at Carol through her lashes. “I’ll leave you to bed, darling. Shout if you need anything.”

Therese wanted to reach out and pull Carol in for a kiss, but Carol walked out of the room before she was able to.

***************

Carol had gone into Rindy’s room after she heard her stirring. Rindy was feeling better, but was still a bit weak. Carol had helped her to take a bath and to eat some soup before Rindy tired out again and fell asleep against Carol’s chest. After she had artfully shimmied from underneath her sleeping daughter, Carol went back into her room. As she was turning down the sheets to climb into bed, she heard her phone vibrating against her nightside table.

She turned her phone screen on to see that she had received a text from Therese.

_Therese: How ridiculous would it be to text my crush and tell her that I miss her when she’s right down the hall from me?_

Carol smiled deeply. It blew her mind that Therese could be so damn adorable and so damn sexy.

_Carol: Oh my, Miss. Belivet. I’d say you must have it awfully bad for this mystery woman._

Carol laid down in her bed, smiling giddily. She basked in the feeling of being dizzy with happiness over the blossoming relationship in her life. She was enamored by Therese, there was no other way to put it. She blushed when she recalled how the first thing she’d done when she returned to her room and shut the door was change her panties, as they were too soaked for her to remain comfortable in them. This was the effect that Therese had on her. God, the strength it was taking for her to remain in her bed when Therese was so close. She felt a heat come over her body, the heat being the way her body reacted to thinking of what it would be like to lay in bed with Therese and feel her small body pressed against her. She reached her hand down into her panties to feel that her clean panties were already wet from the thoughts that she could not seem to shake. She sighed and bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from moaning out loud. Her phone buzzed again, and she knew it was Therese.

_Therese: I’m so wishing ‘this mystery woman’ was in my bed right now._

Carol gasped, and she could feel her stomach tighten. Therese could not possibly know that Carol was touching herself while thinking of her, but her timing was impeccable.

_Carol: Oh? Why is that?_

Carol swirled her fingers around her soaked cunt. In her head, she undressed Therese and saw her glowingly pale soft skin. She imagined her breasts, with her dark hair extending down onto them. The contrast was exquisite, and Carol could imagine herself slowly moving Therese’s hair off of her chest to take one of her hardened nipples into her mouth.

_Therese: No reason. Just that I wish I could feel her hands on me. I love the way her hands feel on me._

Carol was so tempted to get up and go to Therese, but she willed herself to stay in bed. Given that her knees were weak with the pleasure of her own hand, this decision wasn’t a hard one to make.

_Carol: You’re so sweet, Therese. Trust me, I love having my hands on you._

Carol slowly slid one of her fingers into her entrance and her back arched with the pleasure of it all. Carol masturbated occasionally, but to touch herself while thinking of Therese was a whole new experience. Her skin was lighting up like it never had before with a pleasure so intense, she was barely able to keep herself from moaning out loud.

_Therese: Goodnight, Carol._

_Carol: Goodnight, sweetheart._

Carol pulled her wet fingers back to her clit to circle around it slowly, teasing herself as she imagined that Therese might. Needing more, she returned to her opening, this time inserting two fingers slowly, feeling the fullness within herself that she wished desperately was Therese. She was so close, and as she thought of Therese’s hands on her breasts earlier in the night, her back arched and her release came hard. Her body shook with relief as the tension of the day flowed out of her.

Almost instantly, Carol began to drift into the peaceful kind of sleep that follows a seriously intense orgasm.

***************

Therese woke at around 5 in the morning with cramps so terrible, she thought she might throw up. Since her first period, Therese had a history of horribly painful menstrual cramps that were debilitating at times. It was not uncommon for her to throw up from the pain. She cursed herself for forgetting that her time of the month was approaching and got out of bed. She thanked her lucky stars to see that Carol had been thoughtful enough to stock the guest bathroom with pads and tampons. In the process of putting in a tampon, she was horrified to see that she had bled through her panties and into the pants that Carol had given her to sleep in. She rushed back to the bed to check for blood and was thoroughly embarrassed to see that there was a bright red circle of blood where she had previously laid.

“Fuck,” she said out loud, as her mind reeled to think of a solution.  She decided that she would wash the sheets before Carol got up. As for the pants, she would leave early, go home and throw the pants in the wash and return them later. Carol would never know, and she could save herself from the embarrassment. Therese began stripping the bed to remove the sheets, occasionally pausing to double over in pain. She was sweating profusely and felt increasingly nauseous, but she was determined to get the sheets washed.

She silently padded towards the laundry room with the bloodied sheets in her hand, wondering where she would be able to find something to take for the pain. She rounded the corner to the laundry room and almost fell over from the surprise of seeing Carol at the washer.

“Therese? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I couldn’t sleep so I came down to do some laundry.” She looked at Therese and her eyebrows rose in bewilderment. “What’re you doing, baby?”

“Oh god. This is all horribly embarrassing,” Therese said as she clung to the sheets.

“Baby, what’s wrong? You’re as white as a sheet and you’re sweating.” Carol inched closer to Therese to put her hand to her forehead.

Therese inadvertently pulled away from her in her embarrassed state. “Nothing, I just … God, this would happen to me,” she thought out loud. “I started my period. And I bled through your pants. And onto the sheets. Therese: zero, Mother Nature: one.”

Carol smiled at Therese briefly, but her face filled with concern when Therese put a hand to her side and hunched over. Her face filled with pain as her eyes squeezed shut. Carol was quick to come to Therese’s side. She started to pull the sheets out of Therese’s hands, but Therese held them tightly against her. Carol’s voice was soft and calming, “Therese, there’s really no need to be ashamed. We’ve all been there. Let me have the sheets, baby, I’m going to take care of you.” Therese reluctantly let go of the sheets and Carol tossed them in the washer. She stepped towards Therese and easily placed one of her arms under Therese’s knees and the other on her back to lift her. Therese remained limp in Carol’s arms, as pain wracked her body. She turned her head into Carol’s chest and let herself be carried by the surprisingly strong woman. “Let’s get you back to bed, sweetheart. I can tell that you’re feeling miserable.”

Therese was expecting to go back the guest bedroom, but was surprised when she was laid in a bed that smelled strongly of Carol’s perfume. She opened her eyes to see what she supposed was Carol’s bedroom. If her cramps had been less intense, she would have felt elated, but instead, her body folded in on itself and she brought her knees to her chest. Carol brought out a heading pad and tenderly wedged it between Therese’s knees and her abdomen, taking care not to disturb Therese and cause her any more pain. “I’m going to get you some medicine. I’ll be right back.”

Carol quickly returned with pills that Therese took without question. Given her present state, it could have been poison and Therese would have been happy to take it. Carol walked away from her once more, and Therese closed her eyes. She felt Carol sit beside her on the bed and looked up to see her holding a wash cloth. She pulled herself upwards so that she could lay her head in Carol’s lap. Carol stroked her head tenderly and gently wiped Therese’s face with the cool cloth. Feeling the warmth of the heating pad, coupled with her proximity to Carol, the effects of the medicine, and the soothing coolness of the cloth, Therese eventually began to nod in and out of sleep. Before she completely let go, she heard Carol’s sweet whisper coming to her. “Don’t fight it, baby. Sleep.”

***************

When Therese awoke, it was to hear Carol’s voice coming from down the hall. She could tell that Carol was trying to keep her voice hushed, but that the conversation must have been getting heated.

“Harge, I’m not sending you more money, you already get a fucking alimony check from me every month. Are you serious? You think I’m letting you see Rindy when you’re like this? You are a piece of fucking work, Harge. A piece of work. Yeah, well go fuck yourself and let me know when you get your head out of your ass. Then we’ll see about you seeing Rindy.”

She could hear Carol sigh, then go quiet. She guessed that the conversation must have ended. She had gathered from conversations with Carol that her divorce with Harge hadn’t been what anyone would consider amicable, but she had no idea that things were as bad as they sounded from Carol’s end of the conversation.

Therese sat up in the bed to check the time, which read 7:03. She was staring around the room when Carol walked in, obviously flustered. Upon seeing Therese awake, Carol stopped in her tracks.

“Therese. You’re awake.”

“Yes, it would seem that I am,” Therese tried to joke. She saw Carol’s weak smile and felt that she had to ask. “Carol, it’s not really any of my business, but are you okay? I mean, I heard you talking on the phone and it sounded … are you alright?”

Carol closed her eyes and brought her hand up to her face, resting a few fingers to her temple. She sighed and as she spoke, Therese noticed that her voice was filled with sadness. “God how I didn’t want you to know about this side of my life.” She paused and opened her eyes. Therese’s face flashed a wince of pain from seeing the anguish in Carol’s eyes. Carol sat down on the end of the bed, angling herself so that she faced Therese. “You know about my divorce. I think I’ve told you on more than one occasion that things between us are less than great.” Carol paused and looked down at her hands, which she began to nervously fidget with. She looked up at Therese and with a sigh, and said, “Harge is a drug addict. I suppose that was his way of coping with the divorce. And maybe it shouldn’t be my problem, but it is. His life is in shambles, he spends every dollar on drugs, and he’s ruining his reputation as well as mine. I wouldn’t give a flying fuck if Rindy didn’t adore him.” Therese moved down to the end of the bed and took Carol’s hand in her own.

“Carol, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

Carol placed her hand over Therese’s, grateful to have her there with her. “Sometimes I think I should just let him fuck up his life until Rindy asks why she can’t see her dad. Every now and then, he manages to somehow get in touch with her and it makes me look like the bad guy. She thinks I’m keeping her away from him. Which I am, actually, but what am I supposed to do? I’m not about to let him haul our daughter off anywhere by himself.”

Therese was struck to see a tear silently falling down Carol’s cheek. She wiped it away with her thumb and took Carol into her arms. Carol clung to her and Therese held her tighter. “I thought this would get better when we moved, Therese. I really did. I was so stupid to think that just because I could forget about Harge, Rindy could too. His role in our lives is so different and I didn’t even think about it. I fucked up.”

Therese kissed the top of Carol’s head softly and Carol nuzzled her face into Therese's chest. “You didn’t fuck up, Carol. You’re doing everything you can do protect Rindy. Hell, it’s not like you’re keeping her away from him because you don’t like him. He’s a drug addict, it’s not even safe for her to be around him. You’re not doing anything wrong.”

Therese could feel Carol shaking her head, “Yes, but-”

Therese cut her off. “There’s no but in this situation. Look, unstable people, for whatever reason, have a way of making stable people feeling crazy. I mean, Harge is a drug addict. It is a fact that his behavior is reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous. He’s a threat to your daughter, Carol. You’re doing what any good mother would do and protecting her from that. And you’re still doubting yourself.”

Carol was quiet for a while. Therese could feel her crying cease and wondered if maybe she had fallen asleep. Just when she was convinced that Carol was sleeping, she heard her voice, “I meant what I said, Therese.” She pulled herself up from Therese’s embrace and looked at her green-eyed sweetheart. “You really are an angel.”


	13. Irresistible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, folks. No good excuse, I've just been enjoying the break before the spring semester starts, being a lazy piece of garbage. Still, I can't stay away from our ladies for too long.
> 
> Hope everyone is doing well!  
> Thank you for reading and please let me know your thoughts! For everyone that regularly comments, I SO APPRECIATE YOU GUYS AND I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR COMMENTS!! For anyone that's new to this story and wants to comment, PLEASE DO, I LOVE TO SEE NEW PEOPLE COMMENTING!! 
> 
> *If anyone wanted to see any of the ladies' outfits, here they are:  
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4277100/Cate-Blanchett-stuns-glamorous-velvet-suit.html
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4938058/Rooney-Mara-stuns-Givenchy-PFW-show.html
> 
> http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/3062986/michael-fassbender-sarah-paulson-independent-spirit-awards-2014-03/

Instead of replying to Carol’s calling her an angel, Therese simply pulled Carol closer to her to hold her tighter. Locked in their embrace, neither of them wanted to break away, but eventually, Carol sighed and lifted her head off Therese.

“I suppose we should be getting ready for the day, darling.”

Therese’s heart warmed with Carol’s affectionate tone. “If we must.” Therese looked at the clock. “Although I’m late already, actually.”

Carl raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Late? At 7:30?”

“Well, not technically. I don’t _have_ to be there until 9:30 to 10 ish, but I usually get there a little bit earlier, somewhere between 7 and 8.”

Carol smiled. “Okay, but you do realize that for most people, when they talk about being early, they’re talking like 10 or 15 minutes, not 2 or 3 hours, right?”

Therese rolled her eyes in a playful way. “I know, I know. Dannie gives me crap for it all the time. I just worry about the animals.”

Carol kissed the top of Therese’s head. “I’ll say it again; you’re an angel. Now let’s get moving.”

The women parted to engage in their morning routines. Therese returned from her shower in the clawfoot tub she was so fond of to find that Carol was still showering in her bathroom. Therese went to Carol’s closet to find some clothes she could borrow for the day and was astounded by the sheer volume of clothing and shoes, all meticulously organized. She ran her hands over the copious amounts of fabrics, hanging gracefully. She could imagine how each of the garments had hugged Carol’s curves in all the right places. These clothes were made for Carol, perfectly tailored to fit her frame, Therese could tell. She heard the door to the bathroom open and Carol’s light footsteps coming out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. Therese walked out of the closet to find Carol bundled in a robe, her wet hair dripping water droplets down her exposed collarbone.

“Everything alright?” Carol asked while pressing a towel to her wet hair.

Therese unabashedly looked Carol up and down, then met her eyes. “I’m fine, I’m just,” she paused to watch a droplet of water fall from Carols’ neck to her breasts, then continued, “Suddenly starving.”

A playful smile turned up the corners of Carol’s lips. “I’d love to indulge you, baby, but given that you’re already late,” she said with a playful tone, “we need to get you dressed. You didn’t find anything you liked in the closet?”

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just that everything is so nice, I’m not about to wear any of that when I have dogs jumping all over me all day.”

“Ahhh, you must not have looked in the right places. Let me help you,” Carol said as she went into the closet to find Therese something. She pulled a few drawers out to pick out several pairs of jeans and a few t-shirts for Therese to choose from. “Here,” she said, handing Therese the items she had chosen, “These should work for you. Although, given that you’re a good 6 inches shorter than me, you may have to cuff the pants a bit.”

Therese laughed and went to Carol’s bathroom to change into her clothes. She admired the way she looked in the bathroom mirror, Carol’s clothes hanging off her loosely. Carol was right, she’d had to cuff her jeans for them to be wearable, but she loved the feeling of being in clothes that belonged to Carol, that had been worn by her. She walked out of the bathroom to find Carol putting a suit in a garment bag that was hanging on the doorframe of the closet.

“You’re going to take that to work with you?” Therese asked.  
“I have guided meditation sessions in the office. I join in on the morning one, then change afterwards.”

“Huh, I wouldn’t have pictured you doing meditation.”

“Really? I enjoy it. You should come with me some time, you might like it.”

Therese briefly contemplated it. “I suppose I could do that.” She approached the garment bag to see what Carol would be wearing for the day. “Wow,” she said softly after she got a look at the neatly pressed black velvet suit with a white blouse folded expertly underneath the jacket.

“Hmm?”

“This suit. I love the way you look in a suit.”

Carol looked to her with her eyebrows raised. “Do you? Why’s that?”

“You look so powerful, so in charge.” Therese paused to think, there was more she wanted to say. “You look intimidating in the best way possible. Like you could charm the hell out of somebody or give someone hell and not care either way.”

Carol laughed, “That’s a fairly accurate description of me.”

***************

Carol had made eggs and bacon for a starving Therese, although she was certain that this was not the type of satiation she was looking for. Sitting beside one another and eating breakfast, Carol could not help but to think of what it would be like to be able to wake up to Therese and make her breakfast on a regular basis. It amazed Carol that her thoughts regarding Therese spanned so far into the future. These thoughts frequently took her off guard and made her feel incredibly vulnerable.

Therese looked to Carol with a question on her mind. “Do you have any plans during the week?”

Carol had dreaded telling Therese, but knew that she had to. “Well actually, my best friend, Abby, is visiting. She’ll get here sometime tonight, and I think she’s planning of staying for 5 or so days.”

Therese put down her fork, and hesitated for a moment before continuing the conversation. “Carol, I … Maybe this is my business, maybe it isn’t, but I have to ask. Your best friend, Abby,” she paused and looked down at the table, unable to meet Carol’s eyes, “Is that the woman that you had an affair with?”

 Carol slowly exhaled. She had been nervous about when this would come up in conversation, but she wanted to be as honest as possible with Therese.  “Yes, that’s the one.”

The exchange continued slowly, with uncomfortable pauses between questions and answers.

“Does she have feelings for you?”

“I don’t suppose so. None that she would act on, anyway.”

“And do you have feelings for her?”

“No, Therese. I don’t have feelings for her. She is an invaluable part of my life, though.”

“I understand.”

“Therese, I know how this must look to you. But I promise you, any kind of romantic relationship between Abby and I is long over. We’ve both moved on.”

“I know. I’m just jealous, I suppose. Anyway, I need to head out.” Therese quickly gathered her things, and was gone before Carol had time to kiss her goodbye.

Carol’s mediation session was a complete bust. She thought of Therese all morning, fretting over what impression and ideas she must have given the younger woman. She contemplated calling her, but Carol believed firmly in giving people space and time to think through their feelings, so she ultimately decided not to.

At noon, Carol’s phone rang.  
“C.R. Consulting Group, Carol speaking.”

“Yes, Abby here. Was wondering if I’d be able to schedule a meeting with you this evening. I’m thinking wine and food. Can you pencil me in?”

“Abby, you nitwit. When will you be here?”

“I’d say at around 6 ish. What’re you making me for dinner?”

“I was planning on treating you to something nice. Dollar menu of your choice.”

“God, how thoughtful. Is your lover coming with us? I’m sure it’d impress her.”

Carol paused, and Abby could sense the change in Carol’s tone. “You mean Therese? No, I don’t think she’ll be joining us for dinner.”

“Trouble in paradise already?”

“No, there’s no trouble. I just told her I’d be busy this week, with you being here and all.”

“Carol, I mean this in the best possible way, you are a fucking idiot. Surely you didn’t think that I’d come to visit you and not want to meet this woman?”

“Well, I just think it’s too soon maybe. I mean-”

Abby cut her off. “Carol. Ask her to dinner. I want to meet her.”

Carol reluctantly agreed and after discussing dinner options, the phone call ended. Carol kept her phone in her hand and typed out a text to Therese.

_Carol: Would you like to come to dinner with Abby and I this evening?_

She stared at the message and couldn’t bring herself to send it, knowing that Therese was probably still upset about Abby visiting Carol. Carol couldn’t blame her, if Therese had told her that Richard would be staying with her for a while, she would be a jealous monster. But Abby was genuinely Carol’s best friend. If Therese wanted to be involved with Carol, she’d have to come to terms with her relationship with Abby. She quickly dialed Therese’s number before she could allow herself enough time to change her mind.

Therese’s voice came to her softly and hesitantly. “Hello?”

 “Therese, I’m so sorry that I upset you.”

“You didn’t upset me. I just,” Therese sighed, “I guess I’m jealous. And scared. And vulnerable. This is just … all new for me, I suppose. I’ve honestly never felt jealous like this before.”

“Therese, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling scared and vulnerable myself. But regarding Abby, there is honestly nothing there. Come out with us tonight and you can see for yourself.” The silence from the other end of the line prompted Carol to keep going. “Look, I don’t know what I can say to convince you. But I can tell you this. I have not so much as even thought about anyone else since I met you, Therese. You’ve consumed me. You have absolutely nothing to be jealous of, darling.”

Therese eventually agreed, and plans were made. Carol felt supremely excited to bring Abby and Therese together, yet she could feel her stomach turning with nerves. Carol knew that Abby would be fond of Therese, that was not the root of her anxiety. Regardless of how Abby felt about Therese though, she knew Abby and her lack of control and worried about all the ridiculous things she might say in front of Therese. Carol was not typically embarrassed, but Abby had known Carol for so long that she knew exactly how to bring a flush to Carol’s cheeks.

Thinking of Abby, Carol rolled her eyes and laughed. She may well embarrass the hell out of her tonight, but what the hell did it matter if she was with Therese?

***************

“Umm hello, where the hell is everybody? Whatever happened to the art of being a good hostess?” Abby called out as she walked into Carol’s house.

“I’m upstairs, you goof. Come up here,” Carol called down.

Abby headed up to Carol’s room and was met in the hallway by Rindy. Rindy ran to her for a hug and Abby lifted her in her arms.

“Now that’s hospitality, Rindy! You need to teach it to your momma.”

“Momma’s getting ready for her date.”

“For her date? She better not have forgotten that the old third wheel is tagging along for this,” Abby said, lifting her voice and turning her head towards Carol’s room for Carol to hear. Carol’s heeled steps were heard coming down the hallway, before she met them.  She gently put Rindy down and the two women warmly embraced.

“God, it’s good to see you,” said Carol.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s skip all that and get on with this. I need to meet this woman, this Therese.”

“Momma likes Therese a lot,” Rindy chimed in, her voice fading into sweet giggles.

Abby and Carol smiled at each other. “So I’ve heard,” said Abby, “So I’ve heard.”

***************

Carol and Abby left late enough to tuck Rindy into bed and leave her with a sitter until they returned from their dinner. Their light banter in the car took Carol’s mind off her nerves, and she felt relatively calm, until they arrived at the address Therese had given her. The house was an adorable Victorian cottage style house, and Carol thought that it looked exactly like the house she expected Therese to live in. Carol parked the car and opened her door to get out.

“You’re going to the door? How old fashioned of you.”

“Shut it, Abby. I’m just going to walk her to the car.”

“Yeah, well I’ll just sit here and do my best not to make it too obvious that I’m watching you.”

Carol rolled her eyes and she shut the door to her car.

She pressed the doorbell and eagerly waited for Therese. Still wearing her velvet suit that Therese had admired earlier, she knew she was sure to capture Therese’s eye.

Therese opened the door and looked shyly at Carol. “Hi,” she whispered, her voice so sweet that it came over Carol like a heatwave. Carol was awestruck. Therese stood before her in stiletto boots, fitted black trousers, and, the piece de resistance, a sheer printed black blouse that left little to the imagination, showing her bra and her slim figure perfectly (and very clearly).

Carol was genuinely struggling for words, but managed to say, “Miss Belivet. Now you’ve left me suddenly starving.”

Therese’s cheeky smile caught Carol off guard after she had answered the door so shyly. Therese grabbed her hand to walk to the car. “Well, we can’t have you going hungry, can we?”

***************

The falcon wing doors to the backseat of Carol’s Tesla opened up, soliciting a “Hot damn,” from Therese.

Abby turned around to greet her, and Therese could see what had drawn Carol to her. Wearing a white dress with blue flowers sewn onto the shoulders, she looked beautiful and almost as elegant as Carol. For a moment, Therese felt insufficient compared to the two of them.

“Therese, since Carol’s rude ass won’t introduce you to me, I’ll do it myself.” She held out her hand for Therese to shake. “I’m Abby. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Likewise,” Therese said with a smile on her face, noticing Abby’s firm handshake.

“Okay, I see it now, Carol. I understand the thing with the dimples,” Abby said as she turned back around.

Therese couldn’t stifle her laughter as Carol put the car into drive and mumbled, “This ought to be a thrilling dinner.”

For most of the car ride to the restaurant, Therese enjoyed the witticisms Carol and Abby bounced off one another. It wasn’t until they were seated in a booth across from one another that Abby begun to focus her attention on Therese.

“So, Therese. Carol tells me that you’re the manager of the animal shelter here. I guess that means you like pussy.”

“Good Lord. Doesn’t she have a way with words? She’s always been a poet,” said Carol, scoffing.

Through laughter, Therese said, “Maybe so. I mean, I guess so.”

“You guess so? You’re not gay?”

“Okay, Abby, in your own words, you’re a fucking idiot.”

Therese nearly choked on her laughter from the shock of Carol’s sentiment.  
“I don’t know, I hadn’t really thought of it really,” she said as she took a sip of her wine.

“Keep drinking, darling, you’ll need a lot more of that to get through this night,” Carol said jokingly as she took a hearty sip of her own wine.

“Hadn’t thought of it? You’re an interesting girl. If you were to think about it, what would your answer be?”

Carol rolled her eyes as she said to Therese, “You don’t have to answer any of her questions, Therese. She’s full of shit.”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Therese said through laughter. She loved the way Carol cursed in front of Abby and how comfortable she was with her. “I mean, really, I genuinely don’t know. I’ve never been interested in a woman before. But I am now,” she said as she looked to Carol, “so take from that what you will.”

“Nice job, Carol. Another one for our team,” Abby said as she lifted her glass to make a toast. “To lesbians, new and old,” she said cheerfully as the three women clinked glasses.

Therese laughed, Carol rolled her eyes, and they both lifted their glasses to meet Abby’s.

***************

Dinner had been such bliss for Carol. She had heard Therese’s laughter more than ever before, and with that came the dimples that she just could not get enough of. Abby was good for something after all, she thought. Abby had asked Therese more questions about her job, her upbringing and her life in general, and Carol was delighted to see the two being friendly and playful with one another.

Sitting beside Therese and listening to her chat with Abby, Carol let herself watch Therese. Given Therese’s attire, her mind started to wonder, and her attention faded in and out of the conversation. Eventually, she lightly placed her hand on Therese’s inner thigh. Therese grabbed her hand and squeezed, but she didn’t falter in conversation. Carol moved her hand upwards, towards Therese’s center and met no resistance from Therese, so she caressed the sensitive skin by moving a few of her fingers in slow circles while Therese’s hand rested on top of hers. Carol could see a slight increase in Therese’s breathing rate as she watched the movements of Therese’s chest quicken.

“Well, the wine has gotten to me. I’ll be right back, I’m going to the lady’s room. Behave yourselves,” Abby said as she stood up from the table.

When she had rounded the corner, Therese and Carol met each other’s eyes. “What do you think?” Carol asked.

“It’s hard to think with your hands on me.”

“Is it? Would you like me to stop?”

Therese bit her lip, and Carol had to stop herself from leaning in to kiss her. “Please don’t,” Therese said in a whisper as Carol moved her hand upwards, now cupping her crotch in her hand. Therese closed her eyes, put both of her hands down on the booth, and pushed herself into Carol’s hand.

“You didn’t answer my question. What do you think?”

Therese opened her eyes and tried to regain her composure, as Carol applied a light pressure where Therese wanted it most.

Through a breathy voice, Therese answered her question. “Abby is funny. Really funny. I like your friendship, I can tell that it’s genuine. And as for you …” Therese trailed off as Carol increased her pressure and Therese moved her hips in a weak attempt to grind against her in a way that would be unnoticeable to others. “You’re making me weak.”

They both heard Abby’s heels on the floor before she rounded the corner. Therese took deep breaths as Carol moved her hand away from Therese. By the time Abby had returned to the table, Therese had managed to slow her breathing, but she still wore the faint trace of a blush, which Carol loved. She loved that the effect she had on Therese was showing right on her face, and Therese was helpless to try to stop it.

“Let’s blow this popsicle stand, I’m ready to put on sweatpants and take this bra off.”

“I can’t take you anywhere,” Carol said, as she and Therese stood to leave the restaurant.

During the car ride home, Therese opened up to ask Abby a few questions. She asked about how Abby and Carol had met, and Abby answered that their families had lived near each other in New Jersey when they were children. She asked what Abby did for work and she said that she owned a successful furniture store. She asked if Abby had a partner, and Abby answered, “If by partner you mean girlfriend, then no. I like to fool around too much.”

Carol and Therese both laughed at her honesty and Carol enjoyed Therese’s comfortability with Abby. As Carol pulled the car into Therese’s driveway, Abby turned to face Therese.

“I hope I’ll be seeing more of you while I’m in town, Therese. God knows Carol wants to see more of you, but probably in a different way that I do.”

Carol pushed her shoulder. “It better be in a different way, you idiot,” she joked as she opened her door to get out of the car.

“Carol, can you come in for a minute? I have something to give you.”

“I’ll stay in the car,” Abby said. “Wouldn’t want to keep you from a good time, Carol,” she said winking.

“Would you shut up?” Carol said, stepping out of the car.

She and Therese joined hands and walked into Therese’s house. Therese opened the door and let Carol walk in first as she shut the door. Carol looked around to see a wonderfully charming house. The walls were lined with bookshelves and trinkets. Everything looked picture perfect and beautifully messy at the same time. “Your house is lovely,” said Carol. “What’d you want to give me.”

Therese came closer to Carol. “Thank you.” She walked to Carol so that their bodies pressed together. Carol put her hands on Therese’s waist and felt that in this moment, in practically every moment, Therese was irresistible. Therese gently walked Carol back so that she eventually pressed her back against the wall. Carol gasped and smiled at how bold Therese was being “I didn’t really want to give you anything. I just wanted to kiss you.”

Therese leaned in to place her lips on Carol’s, and their lips brushing against each other, Carol whispered, “There’s nothing I’d like more.”


	14. Take Care of Yourself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning - this chapter doesn't have a whole lot of substance and is basically just a total indulgence for myself (and anyone else that feels the same), but I wanted to post something since I've been away for awhile. So here's a little guilty pleasure for us all. 
> 
> The following chapter will be up in the next few days (Tuesday by the latest) and will have more of a meaningful essence, although I'm getting the feeling that no one will mind the tone this chapter has taken ;) 
> 
> Thank you guys for reading and let me know your thoughts.

Their lips came together, and Carol felt relief flood her body. She let go of all the pent-up tension that had collected in her through the night by taking to Therese hungrily and desperately. She lifted the bottom of Therese’s shirt to put her hands on the younger woman’s slim waist and pull her closer. Therese gasped into her mouth as Carol’s hands caressed alabaster skin, and Carol could feel her desperation growing. Carol felt Therese’s hands clawing at the fabric of her shirt, searching fiercely for buttons and frantically trying to undo them.

Carol pulled away slowly and whispered to Therese, “Baby, you know I have to go, Abby is waiting for me.”

Therese sighed and leaned her head into Carol’s chest. “I know, I know.” Therese lifted her head to place feather light kisses under Carol’s chin and on her neck. The feeling was exquisite and made Carol's body ache for Therese's touch. Therese stopped, and Carol could feel the younger woman grinning against her skin. “You always do this to me,” the brunette said through a chuckle.

“Do what?” Carol replied, her tone soft and gentle.

“Turn me on and then leave me to …” Therese trailed off and tucked her head back under Carol’s chin.

“Leave you to what, Therese?”

Therese moved her head to look up at Carol, and Carol looked down to see Therese’s face, glowing with a fierce blush.

“To take care of myself,” Therese said so quietly that Carol almost had to ask her to repeat it to make sure she had heard her correctly.

“Oh really?” Carol knew her tone was seductive, and the effect it had on Therese was visible.

“Yes,” Therese said, her reply a whisper.

“You’ll have to tell me all about that some time.” She pulled Therese in for another tender kiss, then lifted her head to kiss Therese softly on the forehead.  “I need to go, darling.” Therese nodded silently, unable to speak. She moved towards the door, and noticed Therese watching her all the way, still not moving from where Carol left her standing. Carol opened the door and said with a wink, “Take care of yourself for me, baby”. She closed the door quietly behind her.

Walking back to the car, Carol became painfully aware of how wet she had gotten. Therese’s admission that she “took care of herself” after getting hot and heavy with Carol had set her mind ablaze, but she tried to shake these thoughts away as she got in the car.

As soon as she started the car, she heard Abby’s voice, sounding as sardonic as ever. “So, you left out the part about being old enough to be her mother.”

Carol looked at her and scoffed. “I’m not old enough to be her mother, you idiot.”

“Well, how old is she?”

“She’s 23.”

“Carol. She’s young. Tell me you know what you’re doing.”

Carol shook her head, still looking at the road as she drove. “I don’t.” She paused, and a glowing smile lit up her face, ignited by her feelings for Therese. “I never did.”

A silence ensued between them, and Carol asked, “So now you’re quiet?”

She could hear the smile in Abby’s voice when she said, “Oh, I’m just thinking.”

“That's never a good thing. What about?”

“Just that you look damn good in love, Carol.” Carol laughed lightly, and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, but she was well aware that Abby could always call her bluff.

***************

When Therese calmed down enough to move from the spot that Carol had left her at, she went to the couch to lay down. Lying on her back, looking up at the ceiling, she let her mind wonder with no effort to control it. Had she really admitted to Carol that she masturbated with her in mind? She could feel her cheeks burning, remembering the way Carol had suggested that she tell her about it. She felt remarkably comfortable with Carol, but comfortable enough to talk about masturbating, she wasn’t sure.

She thought back over the evening, and a dimpled smile appeared. She found Abby exceptionally funny, and to see her with Carol had made her feel secure – it was obvious to her now that Carol’s relationship with Abby was one purely of friendship. She could certainly see the charm in Abby and could envision her being a very smooth talker where the ladies were concerned, but it was almost comical to her that Carol and Abby had once had a relationship of a romantic nature. Carol was right, seeing them together had completely put her at ease.

Her mind cycled through a few other moments of the night before fading into a fantasy, replaying the way Carol’s lips felt on hers. She felt as if Carol had awakened her body to feelings that she could not have predicted. This was powerful for Therese.  Her body had already been taken to new heights, her skin being hypersensitized by the mere thought of Carol. Therese wanted to indulge her body in all the ways she never had before. She wanted to give herself to Carol and be under her complete control. She longed to undress Carol, to taste her and touch her everywhere, and she knew that Carol wanted the same things from her.

In the midst of fantasizing, Therese felt her phone vibrating against her belly, where she had put it when she laid down on the couch. The vibration against her skin, coupled with the thought of the sexy voice she was about to hear, brought her to shivering as a chill ran up her spine.

“Hi, Carol,” she said after checking her screen to make sure.

“Hello, Therese,” came the smooth reply, and Therese could hear the grin in her voice. “I’m missing you already.”

Therese smiled and bit her lip. “I miss you too,” she said shyly.

“Did you have a good night?”

“I had a really good night. The best part was getting to see you in that suit that I’d been dreaming about all day.”

“Yeah?” Carol said seductively. “I think my view was much better, darling. Anyhow, Abby is asleep, or raiding the liquor cabinet because she thinks I’m asleep, so I wanted to call you. Are you busy?”

“Not at all. I was just thinking of you, actually.” Therese regretted it as soon as she said it. She was sure that her tone gave away exactly what kind of thoughts she was referring to.

“Is that so?” _God, her voice melts me,_ Therese thought.

“Yes,” Therese whispered.

“And what were you thinking of?”

Therese felt the rush of a million butterflies in her stomach. She wondered if this was about to turn into phone sex. She was equal parts excited and embarrassed about this possibility, and briefly thought about all the times she had referred to phone sex as being “not for her”. Now, though, she felt aroused by the thought. “If you must know,” Therese stalled, trying to hide her nervousness, “I suppose it was a bit naughty.”

Carol giggled, and Therese felt supremely silly for what she’d said. “You suppose? You know I’m going to want more details than that, Therese.” She paused, and her tone changed when she spoke again. Her voice was husky and provocative. “What were you thinking of, baby?”

“I want to taste you,” Therese blurted out, finding herself incapable of not saying it after Carol’s maddeningly sensuous tone.

Carol gasped, and Therese wondered if she had said too much. She could not believe she’d just said something so overtly sexual out loud, and directly to Carol, too.

Carol’s tone was deeper yet, and Therese could tell that her comment had inflamed Carol. “Mmm,” Carol purred, “You’re being awfully audacious, Therese. I like that.” She sighed, and slowly, seductively said, “You have no idea how much I’d like to have my mouth on you, baby. I’d love to have your legs wrapped around my head.” Therese exhaled audibly and felt goosebumps come over her skin. She felt the familiar rush of heat between her legs and longed to touch herself there. “Are you wet, baby?” Carol asked.

“Yes,” Therese replied breathily.

“Would you like to touch yourself?”

“Yes,” Therese responded in the same breathless voice.

“What’s stopping you, Therese?”

 _Nothing_ , she almost said. But instead of replying, she reached her hand down to unbutton her pants. She slid her hand under her panties and delicately moved a finger up the length of her cunt. Her moan let Carol know that Therese had let her inhibitions go.

“I can’t wait to be with you, Therese,” Carol said, her voice so tender that Therese moaned in response. She knew exactly what Carol had meant, and it made her all the more aroused. “Would you like me to tell you what I’d like to do to you, my baby?”

As Therese circled her fingers around her clit, she could feel herself pulsing, already so close to the edge. She loved the way "my baby" sounded in Carol's voice, being directed at her. “Please,” she said, her voice a mixture of a moan and a sigh.

“I’d like to take your clothes off and just look at how beautiful you are. Then I’d like to kiss down your body, taking your nipples into my mouth.” at this Therese moaned and quickened the movement of her fingers. “I’d like to kiss down your belly and up your thighs. I’d like to tease you and make you beg me to take you in my mouth.” Therese moaned Carol’s name, her voice telling Carol that she was close. “And when you do, I’d like to lick you up and down, slowly finding your clit and using my tongue to circle around it.” Therese was right there on the cusp, brought there by imaging her fingers to be Carol’s tongue. Her breathing was erratic, and she was sure that Carol could hear it. “And when I can feel that you’re right there on the edge, I’ll take your clit into my mouth and gently suck. Then I’ll whisper to you and say, _Therese,_ ” Carol paused, and Therese was reeling, desperate for Carol to keep going, “ _Cum for me.”_ And with that, Therese’s hips lifted off the couch, her head tilted back, her knuckles became white from her grip on the phone and her thighs involuntarily came together to squeeze against her hand. Her orgasm was serious and intense, and her unstoppable moan let Carol know it. Therese didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she started to come down from her pleasure, and her breathing became deep and irregular.

In a haze, she heard Carol’s voice, soft and sweeter than ever. “I wish I could hold you, baby. You sound so lovely.” Carol paused, and Therese guessed that it was to give her time to ride out her orgasm. With her breathing returning to normal, Carol asked her, “Are you sleepy, sweetheart?”

“Mhm,” Therese murmured, suddenly aware that she was, indeed, incredibly tired.

“I’m going to let you get some sleep, darling.” Almost asleep, Therese mumbled an inaudible reply to Carol. “Goodnight, my Therese.”

“Goodnight, my Carol,” Therese said, almost immediately drifting into sleep.


	15. An Offer I Can't Refuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as everyone knows now, I AM THE WORST. I told you guys I would put out the next chapter by Tuesday (yesterday). It's Wednesday, and here we are. I don't have a good excuse, except to say that the semester started off at a much quicker pace than I imagined and I decided to get some sleep instead of staying up late and finishing this last night. That being said, I am so grateful to have readers that were actually looking for this yesterday. I naively thought nobody would notice. But really, I sincerely apologize and hope you all will forgive me.

Carol was up early the next morning, but although it was early, she heard Abby and Rindy’s voices coming from the kitchen downstairs. She found them making pancakes, sweet laughter in the air between them. Rindy loved Abby dearly, and it warmed Carol’s heart to see them together. Rindy had the day off from school, due to it being a teacher workday, so the two would be spending the day together.

“What’re you up to today, Carol?” Abby asked as they all sat down to have breakfast together.

“Just working, I suppose. I’ll make it an early day and leave at lunch and we’ll go out somewhere.”

“Let’s have a picnic at the park. Ask your lady to come with us. Can you even think of anything cuter? God, no wonder the ladies consider me to be such a panty dropper.”

Carol shot daggers at Abby with her eyes and tilted her head to Rindy, as if to say that Abby should watch her mouth in front of Rindy.

“Momma, what’s a panty dropper?” Rindy asked, predictably.

Abby howled with laughter, and Carol did her best to stifle her own. “Baby, don’t repeat that. What she meant is that ladies think she’s pretty. Which I hope makes up for her garbage can of a mouth.”

Rindy thought it was terribly funny that her mother had referred to Abby as being a garbage can, and the three erupted into laughter.

Finishing her breakfast, Carol started to get ready for the day ahead of her. As she was in the shower, her mind lingered on the sweet sounds of a certain green-eyed girl that she’d managed to elicit the night before. The visual image she had paired with Therese’s moaning was breathtaking and raised goosebumps on her skin. But it wasn’t just that Therese had sounded sexy. She sounded beautiful and tender. Carol had wanted desperately to hold her and protect her from any vulnerability she may have felt afterwards. Knowing how prone Therese was to reddening in front of her, she could only image how hard it would be for Therese to be around her again after they had shared such an intimate moment. Carol found this strangely adorable, but also wished that she could relieve Therese of her embarrassment. _All in due time,_ she thought to herself, _all in due time._

On her way to work, Carol called Therese, eager to hear her voice, but slightly nervous after last night’s conversation.

Therese answered the phone stammering, and Carol could tell that she was nervous. “He… Hello?”

“Morning, baby. How did you sleep?”

“Well. But I think you know that.” Therese’s laughter warmed Carol as she pictured the irresistible dimples that had surely appeared.

“God you’re adorable. Listen, I’m almost at work so I’ll have to let you go in a minute, but I was wondering if you’d like to come out to the park with Abby and Rindy and I? We’re planning on a picnic.”

Therese sighed, which told Carol the answer. “Oh, I wish I could Carol. But I won’t be able to leave work at lunch time.”

“That’s too bad, I’d love to see you. But I understand, darling.”

“I know, I’d love to see … Dannie, would you …” Therese trailed off, and Carol could make out Dannie’s voice in the background, but couldn’t clearly discern what he was saying. “I’m sorry Carol, hang on just a second.”

Carol could tell from the tone of the conversation that Dannie and Therese were bickering. She could hear the phone changing hands.

“Carol? It’s Dannie.”

“Oh, good morning, Dannie,” Carol said with surprise in her voice.

“Therese is being stubborn, but she’s leaving work at lunch time today, I’ll make sure of it.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t want to bother-”

“Oh, please,” Dannie cut her off. “You’re not bothering anything. There are plenty of volunteers and spare hands around here. Plus, I owe Therese for all the times she picked up my slack when I was hungover.”

They both laughed, and Carol thanked him again.

“Hey, no problem. Just take care of my girl for me.”

“I’ll see to it that she’s well taken care of, Dannie.” And she meant it. In all the ways.

***************

After Therese had gotten off the phone, she looked to Dannie. “Okay, you’re the best. Thank you, Dannie. Really.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Besides, we have a new girl coming in today, so she’ll help pick up any of your slack.”

“Oh, would you shut it?

“Hey, I was kidding!” Dannie said, shrugging his shoulders. “Anyway, this new girl, she’s quite the looker. I might ask her out.”

“That’s a good plan, Dannie. Just run our help right out the door, why don’t you? I thought you had found ‘the one’ last week anyway?”

“Disregard that one. This new girl, I’m telling you Therese, she could be the ‘the one’. I feel it.”

“Okay, well what’s this girls name anyway?”

Dannie thought for a moment and Therese had to laugh at how he couldn’t even remember her name, yet she was potentially ‘the one’. “Cranell something … Genevieve, I think.”

“You think? You’re hopeless, my friend. Absolutely hopeless.”

“Yeah, I know,” Dannie said and they both laughed.

They were going about feeding the cats when Dannie asked, “So, T, how are things with Carol anyway?”

Therese’s dimples popped. “They’re good. Really good.”

“Really good? That’s all I get? How about some details Belivet?” And then he asked the question that made Therese’s heart flutter, “Do you love her?”

Predictably, Therese’s cheeks betrayed her calm demeaner by showing a lovely rose color, as she said, “Oh, I don’t know. It’s too soon for that kind of thing.”

Dannie smirked. “There’s no protocol for how long it takes, T. Let me ask you again, _do you love her?_ ”

Therese stopped amid scooping cat food out of a bag. She put the scoop down, pulled her hands out of the bag, intertwined her fingers and brought her hands up under her chin. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to think of the topic she’d tried so hard to avoid: the l word. She spoke slowly, but clearly, confident in her answer. “Yes. I love her.”

Dannie smiled brightly and high fived Therese with tremendous force after she had opened her eyes. “Alright, Therese!” he shouted, feeling excited for his best friend. “Damn, it’s about time. I was worried you’d become an old cat lady in here with all these animals.”

They laughed, and Therese’s smile was infectious. Of course, she loved Carol. She thought she may have even loved her from the first second she saw her. Upon meeting Carol, all her skepticism about love at first sight and fairy tale endings melted away. Where she had became hardened on the topic of love, Carol had softened her with a simple look. She knew without a doubt, that she would always love Carol.

***************

Driving to meet Carol, Abby, and Rindy at the park, Therese felt awfully nervous. She turned the music off, something about it made her more nervous. She tapped the steering wheel nervously and chewed on her bottom lip. She knew that her nerves were from saying it out loud earlier, that she loved Carol. She felt like she would see Carol, and the words would come tumbling out of her mouth. _Carol, I love you. I love you too much,_ she could imagine herself saying, her mouth betraying her.

She pulled in the parking lot, and already she could see the three sitting on the grass underneath a tree, a blanket spread out beneath them. They looked like a picture, the most beautiful one Therese had ever seen. All giggling and smiling beautifully, Therese could not resist the urge to grab her phone from her pocket and snap a picture before anyone noticed that she had arrived.

She got out of the car and walked towards them, her heart pounding. She was afraid to look at Carol, for fear that her eyes would tell Carol all her feelings. Therese had always felt comfortable with Carol, but suddenly she felt vulnerable in a way she never had before, and she had to fight the urge to run back to the car and drive away. Carol turned her way, and her beauty stunned Therese. In rolled up jeans and a t-shirt, Carol looked so at ease and comfortable, it almost pained Therese to see her. Carol called out to her, “Therese! Come eat with us!” and Rindy jumped up to run to her.

Therese felt surprised by Rindy’s display of affection, but she felt elated as she lifted her to hug her. Rindy wrapped her tiny legs around Therese and erupted into laughter as Therese tickled her while she walked towards Carol and Abby. At the edge of the blanket, Therese sat Rindy down and said a polite, but shy, ‘hi’ to everyone. Carol had a strange look in her eye, and Therese knew that Carol could tell something was off. Carol would always be able to tell. Carol had a way of looking at Therese that told her she knew her completely.

Not enough time had passed for the moment to become awkward as Abby said, “I’m glad you’re here, Therese. Carol frets like a lovesick puppy when you’re not around. She’s got it awfully bad for you.”

Therese laughed, Abby’s playful demeanor releasing her from her anxious state at once. Carol punched Abby on the arm, and said, “You make me want to do bad things to you, Abigail Gerhard.”

“Be my guest, I’ll get the rope and whip, you let me know the day and time,” Abby said, mocking a seductive tone.

Carol rolled her eyes, pretending to ignore Abby.

“How was your day, Therese? You know, I think Rindy brought something for you.”

“It was good, not too busy or anything.” Rindy had gotten up and was rummaging around Carol’s bag, from which she retrieved a folded piece of paper. She walked to Therese and surprised her by sitting in her lap.

“I made this picture for you,” she said excitedly, looking up at Therese. Therese noted the similarity between Rindy’s blue eyes and Carol’s. Therese unfolded the paper to see such a sweet picture, she had to force the tears back. Rindy had drawn herself in the middle, with Carol and Therese on either side of her, Carol and Therese each holding one of her hands. Oliver was sitting beside Carol, and Rindy had written the word ‘Family’ at the top of the picture. “My teacher asked us to draw a picture of our families,” Rindy said, offering an explanation.

“Rindy, this is the best picture I’ve ever seen.” Rindy giggled as Therese continued. “I love it! I just love it!” Therese folded the picture and placed it under her leg so that the wind wouldn’t grab it from her. She wrapped her arms around Rindy and leaned them side to side as Rindy laughed and Carol looked on adoringly.

“Rindy, that playground looks like all the fun,” Abby said. “Do you think we should go play on it?”

Rindy jumped up out of Therese’s lap and ran towards Abby, taking one of her hands. As they walked towards the playground, Abby turned around and mouthed the words, “You’re welcome” to Therese and Carol. They both laughed and looked affectionately at one another.

“Rindy’s picture is so sweet,” Therese said, feeling slightly self-conscious now that she was alone with Carol.

“I know. She’s been talking about you nonstop. She really does think a lot of you, Therese.” Carol paused. “So, do I.” Therese smiled, enjoying the butterflies that Carol’s sweet sentiment had given her. “Something’s on your mind today,” Carol said, making it a fact and not a question. “What’s bothering you?”

Therese looked down and played with the frayed ends of the quilt. “Oh nothing, I just …” She stopped, looking up at Carol. “Will you hold me?”

Carol looked surprised and delighted, simultaneously. She smiled and said warmly, “Of course, come here baby.” Carol leaned against the tree and bent her legs in front of her. She patted the ground between her legs, and Therese sat there, with her back pressing against Carol’s chest. Carol wrapped her arms around Therese, leaving the younger woman feeling secure and at-ease. “Better?” Carol whispered into her ear.

“Much.”

Carol kissed Therese’s neck, and Therese closed her eyes. She could have lived in this moment for eternity, the gentle autumn breeze and Carol surrounding her in a perfect combination. “Therese? I wanted to talk to you about something.” Therese could sense the nervousness in Carol’s voice and it surprised her.

“Alright. What is it?” Therese had gotten nervous herself, her mind imagining only bad things to come.

Carol sighed, her warm breath hitting Therese’s neck and making the younger woman’s skin tingle. “I’ve been rehearsing this in my head, trying to think of a way to ask you this that doesn’t sound so ridiculous. Obviously, I haven’t thought of anything good, or I would have left that part out.” She laughed a little, but Therese could tell it was a nervous laughter. Carol leaned her head to rest against Therese’s shoulder and paused. The anticipation of whatever Carol would say left Therese feeling anxious and sick, but she didn’t want to probe Carol and make her more uncomfortable than Therese could already tell she was feeling. “Therese, I like you. I like you … God,” Carol paused, and her voice became slightly breathy, “I like you so much, Therese. I don’t want to be with anyone else. And maybe this is selfish, but I don’t want you to be with anyone else.” She paused again, and this time Therese felt slightly relieved. “I want you to be my girl, Therese. I want to make this – what are the kids calling it these day? Make it official?” Carol laughed and so did Therese.

Therese nuzzled Carol’s neck and kissed her several times. “Carol Aird, I think you’re asking me to be your girlfriend,” Therese said through a smile, which Carol could feel against her neck.

“Therese Belivet, I think you’re right.” Carol wrapped her arms tighter around Therese and Therese adored the feeling of being so tightly wrapped in her arms and being enveloped by Carol.

“Well then. Carol Aird’s girlfriend. That’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel a bit self-conscious posting this, I'm sure you guys were expecting something a bit more intimate (SEXUAL), but I felt like this moment was an important stepping stone for Therese and Carol. Hopefully it didn't disappoint too much!
> 
> ALSO, I was skimming The Price of Salt to get inspiration for this chapter when I noticed that in the book, Genevieve's last name is Cranell and NOT Cantrell. For some reason, this surprised me and made me have a crisis. Anyone else surprised by this?


	16. Playing a Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So. This semester is going to be a bit more of a BITCH than I thought, so the updates may be a bit slow. But stay with me, dear readers, they will come eventually!
> 
> Thank you guys for reading and leaving such wonderful comments. I LOVE THEM AND YOU.

“Well, that settles it then. That’s that,” Carol said, her face adorned with a smile so bright that her cheeks hurt. Her heart was still pounding, and she suspected that Therese could feel it. At 35, she didn’t expect to be having this sort of conversation again, or at least not so soon after her divorce. She sometimes wondered if it was all wrong, but when she was near Therese, especially now that Therese sat nestled in her arms, she knew that nothing in her life had ever been more right. She thought of the way she had subconsciously doodled Therese’s name all over a post-it note earlier and laughed out loud.

“What’re you laughing at?” Therese said, turning in Carol’s arms to look at her skeptically.

“You make me feel so young, Therese.”

Therese scoffed. “You’re not even old, Carol.”

“No, not really, but sometimes I feel it. You’ve certainly made me feel more alive.”

The two sat in a comfortable silence, Carol periodically kissing the top of Therese’s head and Therese occasionally turning to kiss Carol’s neck, which always made Carol feel week and unsteady.

“Let’s play a game,” Therese said suddenly.

“You’re full of surprises,” Carol laughed. “What are we playing?” They both waved to Rindy, who was standing atop of a slide getting ready to go down it.

“It doesn’t have a name really. We’ll call it ‘what do you want’. It works like this: I start off by asking you what you want, and you answer by saying the first thing you think of. Then I’ll keep asking the question and you get deeper and deeper every time.”

“Therese, I mean this in the nicest possible way. That sounds miserable.”

Therese laughed in her arms and Carol smiled at how adorable she looked, her body shaking with laughter and her dimples lighting up her face.

“No, no, come on. Just try it.” She turned to Carol to give her puppy dog eyes. “Try it for me, please?”

Carol rolled her eyes at her, knowing that Therese was using her adorableness as a weapon. Typically, these kinds of antics wouldn’t have worked on Carol, but Therese had her wrapped around her finger. “Alright, I’ll play. But I’ll be completely miserable the whole time.”

Therese slapped her playfully on the thigh, “Oh hush, you will not.” Carol laughed at how playful Therese was being. She adored this side of Therese, which was a side that she’d only gotten tiny glimpses of before. Therese took a deep breath, then relaxed herself against Carol’s chest. “Okay, here we go. Ready?”

“Do I have an option?”

Therese smiled and looked up to kiss Carol’s neck. “Not really.” Carol laughed in response. “Okay, so, what do you want?”

“Hmmmm. I want Abby to stop being such an idiot in your presence.” She felt Therese shaking gently against her chest from her sweet laughter. “No, I’m kidding. What do I want? I want Harge to stop being such an ass hat.” Therese and Carol both laughed.

“What do you want?”

“I want Rindy to grow up in a family that isn’t broken.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you to be a part of that family.”

Carol watched Therese from behind her as Therese grabbed her hands and laced their fingers together.

“What do you want?”

“I want to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with you, laying around the house and reading books while we sit in each other’s laps and watch Rindy paint.”

“I like that,” Therese purred. “What do you want?”

“I want you to know how much I love holding you like this,” Carol said, following it by kissing Therese softly on the neck. Therese sighed and leaned into her.

“What do you want?”

“I want to spend more time with you. I want to know you completely, and as hesitant as I am about it, I want to let you know me completely too. I want to protect you and support you. I want you to know my daughter thoroughly and become a part of her life, and I know that she wants that as well. I want holidays and birthdays and vacations with you. I want a future with you. I want to go to bed and wake up with you.” Carol paused after this. How Therese had managed to pull all of this out of her with a silly game was beyond her. She felt instantly nervous and dizzy. She had said too much. “Therese, I’m sorry. I’ve said too much.”

Therese turned in her arms to face her. She used her hand to pull Carol’s chin towards her until their lips came together. They kissed softly and passionately and afterwards, their foreheads came to rest together. “That was perfect. Thank you.”

“I would tell you two to get a room, but this is kind of hot,” Abby interrupted. Carol and Therese quickly pulled apart and turned to Abby and Rindy, looking like teenagers who had been caught in the act.

***************

Therese could feel herself getting hot. She was feeling euphoric and high from Carol’s confession of how deep her feelings extended. Maybe she wasn’t the only one tossing around the ‘l word’ in her head. She felt self-conscious being so close to Carol in front of Rindy and Abby, but neither one seemed to mind. Therese could not think of a day in her life that had felt as perfect as this one. Nestled in Carol’s arms, with Rindy in front of her, coloring a picture, and Abby sprawled out on the blanket making light banter with Carol, she felt that she was part of a family. A complete family. She repeated the words in her head over and over like a mantra: _I have a girlfriend, I have a girlfriend, I have a girlfriend_.

“So, what’s the thing with you two? Where’s this going?” Abby asked, tilting her head towards Carol and Therese.

“Must you ask these questions, Abby?” Carol scolded.

“Momma is going to ask Therese to be her girlfriend,” Rindy said matter-of-factly as she colored, not bothering to look up.

“Oh, is she now? Don’t forget to act surprised, Therese.” Therese and Carol both laughed.  

“Solid advice, but we had this talk while you were playing on the playground,” Carol’s sarcastic tone was directed to Abby. “Therese is off the market.”

Abby smile brightly, “Well congratulations, love birds.”

Rindy put her crayons down and looked to Carol, a confused expression on her face. “What does it mean to have a girlfriend?”

“It just means that Therese will come over more and we’ll be spending more time with her.”

“That’s good, I need some help with some of my pictures.” Therese, Carol, and Abby laughed at Rindy’s matter-of-fact statement.

“As much as I hate to say this, we should probably get going. I know a little girl that needs to be getting to bed soon,” Carol said. Therese sighed and moved from Carol’s arms. The coolness of the air was a shock to her after she had been kept warm by Carol. Therese helped Carol pack her things in the car. When they finished, Carol turned to Therese while Abby and Rindy got in the car.

“What are your plans for tonight?” Carol asked, her tone warm.

“I think I’ll head back to the shelter for a bit, check on Dannie and the new girl. Then I’ll head home.” She looked at Carol through her lashes, “Maybe I’ll call my girlfriend and return the favor she payed me last night.”

The rise of color on Carol’s cheeks did not escape Therese as she stood on her tip-toes to give Carol a kiss on the cheek. She turned away, heading back to her car. This time, it was Carol who was left standing motionless.

***************

Driving back to the shelter, Therese smiled as she tried to take in everything that had just happened. Carol telling her she didn’t want her to see anyone else, asking her to be her girlfriend and confessing to wanting a future with her. It had all made Therese undeniably happy and excited. But a small part of her felt apprehensive. She was worried about messing it up, about somehow managing to push Carol away. She was also worried that her feelings were too serious and intense for a relationship that was as new as hers with Carol. It had reassured her to hear Carol talking about a future between the two of them, but a small tinge of fear lingered.

Therese opened the door to the shelter to hear Dannie’s voice. She noted that his tone sounded slightly lower than usual as he said, “Oh yeah, it’s all about the animals, you know? I’d do anything for these guys. They’re like family.”

“Gosh, that is so sweet of you,” a feminine voice replied. Therese rolled her eyes and smiled, knowing that Dannie was laying it on thick.

She rounded the corner and saw Dannie leaning against the wall, while he watched who Therese assumed to be Genevieve, sweep the floor. She noticed that Dannie’s demeanor changed immediately when he saw her, his posture returning to normal, as well as his voice, as he said, “Hey, T! Didn’t think you’d be back tonight.” His tone sounded a little too excited, and Therese noticed his cheeks reddening. He’d clearly been surprised (and thrown off of his game) by her presence.

The object of Dannie’s affection turned to Therese and put out her hand. “You must be Therese. Hi, I’m Genevieve.”

Therese shook her hand and initiated polite small talk, telling Genevieve that she was glad to have her on board and asking her about her previous experience. She felt nervous under Genevieve’s glare, as she noticed her periodically looking at her up and down. She could see something in Genevieve’s eyes, but couldn’t detect if it was adoration, lust, or just something she was reading entirely too much into. Therese informed her that when she finished sweeping up, she could head home, and Dannie followed her as she walked to her office.

As Therese sat down in front of her computer, Dannie took a seat on the couch.

“God damn it,” Dannie said, sounding exasperated.

“What’s your deal?” Therese said, turning to Dannie with her eyebrows raised.

“I’m barking up the wrong tree with that one,” he said with his finger pointed towards the door, indicating that he was referring to Genevieve. “Did you see how she looked at you?! She was undressing you with her eyes, Therese!”

“You’re being ridiculous. She probably just has a little crush.”

“Well call it whatever you want, T., but that woman is clearly taken by you.”

Therese rolled her eyes and turned back to her computer. “Go home and have a few beers. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

Dannie stood to leave, “Better luck next time, right? Night, Bel. See you tomorrow.”

After Dannie’s truck had rumbled away, the shelter fell quiet, with the occasional meow or bark. Therese was replying to emails when she heard Genevieve’s voice. She had thought that Genevieve was talking to her and walked out of her office. But before she had rounded the corner, she had decided that she must be talking on the phone. She started to walk back to her office, but a certain name in the conversation made her stop in her tracks.

“I don’t know, Richard, I’m not sure this is a great idea anymore,” she heard Genevieve saying in a hushed tone. She tried to tell herself that she was ridiculous for assuming it was _her_ Richard on the other end of the line, but her intuition wouldn’t let go of the thought. She stood where she was to continue listening. “Yeah, I mean I do this shit all the time, but this is different. No, god no … Look, I don’t have feelings … There’s nothing between us, I just met her … Okay, I understand. Goodbye.”

Therese quickly walked back to her office, keeping her steps as quiet as possible. She shut the door and locked it behind her. She sank to the couch, her mind reeling. _What the fuck is this? Am I a paranoid idiot? It can’t be_ \- Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Genevieve’s voice coming from behind it.

“Therese? I finished sweeping up. I’m going to head home.”

Therese went to the door and opened it with shaky hands, half expecting Genevieve to be holding a weapon of some sort. But when she opened it, Genevieve looked calm and indifferent. Therese’s mind went blank. “What?” she managed to say.

“Just letting you know that I finished up and that I’m going home.”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks.”

Therese watched her walk out. When she had driven away, Therese ran to lock the front door, and quickly made sure the rest of the doors were locked. She went back into her office, closed the door and locked it, and sat back down on the couch. She took her phone, and with shaky hands, she texted Carol.

_Therese: Can you come over to my house tonight? I’m scared._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear that the next chapter will have more C&T interaction! Please don't hate me!


	17. I'm Right Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is doing well :) Let me know what you think of this turn of events!

Carol had just finished tucking Rindy into bed. She walked back downstairs and plopped down on the couch next to Abby, who was watching some cooking show that Carol could care less about. She noticed that Abby had gotten two wine glasses and a bottle out for them, so she filled her glass as Abby looked to her and said, “What the fuck is this? This woman is seriously going to make ice cream with like 2 minutes left? Doesn’t she know that the ice cream machine is where it always goes bad?” Carol laughed at Abby’s animated commentary. “By the way, your phone was buzzing a few minutes ago.”

Carol grabbed her phone from the coffee table to see that Therese had texted her. She opened the text and panic immediately set in. “Fuck,” she said, involuntarily.

“Yeah, I know. I tried to tell you. That fucking ice cream machine gets ‘em every time.”

“No, no, not that. Look at this text Therese sent me.” She passed the phone to Abby, whose eyebrows jutted up in confusion.

“That sounds bad. You need to call her, Carol.”

Before Abby could finish the sentence, Carol had hit the call icon beside Therese’s name. The phone had barely rung before Therese answered.

“Carol?” Therese said quietly.

“Therese, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“No, I’m … not really. I’m at the shelter.” Therese was panting, her voice sounded breathless and caught in her throat.

“Do you need me to come and get you?”

“Please,” Therese choked out. Carol could hear her breathing hard on the other end of the line.

“Baby, I wish you’d tell me what happened. You’re scaring me.”

“I just … I can’t … having a … panic attack.” Therese’s voice was labored and faint. Carol could tell that she was in the midst of an anxiety attack. She hurriedly grabbed her keys and went to the door. She yelled back to Abby that she would call her later to update her and ran out to her car.

“Therese, baby, just try to breathe. I know it’s hard. I’m coming to get you. I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”

Her voice was soft, and Carol could hear that she had started to cry. “Please don’t hang up”. And softer yet, “I need you.”

“I’m not going anywhere sweetheart, I’m right here. Just try to breathe for me, Therese. Focus on breathing. I’ll be there so soon.”

It typically took Carol around 10 minutes to get to the shelter from her house, but she managed to get there in about 6, her foot like lead on the gas pedal. All the way there she uttered reassurances to a seriously distressed Therese. When she arrived, she quickly turned the car off and ran to the door of the shelter. “I’m here, Therese. Can you come unlock the door for me?” she said softly into the phone. Carol heard shuffling behind the door, then saw a visibly shaken, tear streaked Therese appear from behind it. She hung up the phone and Therese pulled her in, then quickly locked the door behind her. “Therese, what is going on?” Carol asked, her voice full of concern. Therese, still panicking, couldn’t find the breath to support the words she wanted to say. Instead of talking, she grabbed fistfuls of Carol’s shirt and latched on to her. Carol wrapped her arms around her and they slowly sank to the floor. With Carol’s back resting against the door, Therese moved as close to Carol as she possibly could and folded her body in on itself. Her body shook viciously as her labored breaths came quick and her tears fell. Carol pulled Therese up to meet her eyes but found that her eyes were closed tightly. “My baby,” Carol said softly. She herself was worried sick about Therese and felt like she could throw up, but she knew that she needed to try to keep a calm demeanor, at least until she could bring Therese down from her panic. “Look at me, Therese.” Therese slowly opened her eyes and dark green met blue gray. Carol could see sheer terror written all over Therese’s face. “There’s my girl.” She brought her hands to Therese’s shoulders and gently massaged. “Listen to me, Therese. I’m going to count to 5 and you’re going to breathe in. When I start over, I want you to breathe out. Okay?” Therese nodded her head, her breath still erratic. As Carol counted, Therese’s body came down to a light tremor, which was much better than the condition Carol had found her in. Eventually, she stopped shaking entirely, her breathing became slow and calm, and her tears stopped falling.

Therese leaned her head against Carol’s chest, her breathing slow, her hands still clinching the fabric of Carol’s shirt in an attempt to anchor herself to her harbor of safety. Carol whispered softly to her, “Therese, you have to tell me what happened.” Carol felt Therese nod into her chest and begin to speak.

***************

Through pauses and stuttering, Therese managed to tell Carol everything that had happened. She recalled the bits of conversation that she had heard between Genevieve and Richard and speculated aloud about what it might mean. Carol was quiet, even after Therese stopped talking. Therese lifted her head from Carol’s chest and looked at her. “Carol?”

“I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to go quiet on you. I’m just trying to take this all in. What are the options? Can you confront her on it? Can you fire her?”

“I mean, I think if I confronted her about it, she would just lie. I guess I could try, do you think it would hurt anything? And firing her … The employee handbook we have here has a “just cause” piece in it, I can’t fire her without a legitimate reason. Plus, I might be blowing this whole thing out of proportion, I mean, we don’t even know-”

Carol interrupted her. “No, I don’t think you’re blowing this out of proportion. I mean think about it, Therese. This would have to be awfully coincidental. Too coincidental, don’t you think?”

Therese nodded in agreement. “What do we do?”

“Well, I don’t think we should stay at your house tonight. I don’t particularly want to go back to mine, Abby will drive us nuts. We could go to a hotel?”

“Alright. I need to get some things from my house though.”

They stood up to gather themselves. Carol was turning for the door when Therese stopped her by wrapping her arms around Carol’s waist. “Thank you,” Therese whispered into her ear. They stood by the door, holding on to one another. Therese broke the silence by whispering Carol’s name.

“Yes, baby?”

“Can you drive us?” Her voice came out in a whisper that Carol strained to hear. “I don’t want you to leave me, I’m afraid.”

Carol pulled Therese’s chin up. She kissed her softly on the lips and Therese could feel the tension, the panic, the dread easing out of her body. Carol had brought her back to the present with a kiss. Their eyes met, and Therese could see Carol’s feelings showing through her eyes. If Therese was confident enough, she would’ve thought that those were the eyes of someone in love. “I’m not going to leave you, Therese. I’m right here, baby.” Her words were simple, but they comforted Therese tremendously and gave her strength.

In the car, they sat quietly and held hands. Therese was fidgeting and biting the skin around her nails out of nervousness. “Do you think we should call the police?”

“I think you should file a restraining order tomorrow. And I think you should let them know that you suspect that he’s stalking you. I’ll go with you. If they give you any shit, I’ll be there to rip their fucking heads off.” Therese grinned at Carol’s rage. “Therese, I’m not kidding. If I see Richard, so help me God, I’ll be going to jail for his murder.”

Therese couldn’t stop herself from laughing, even though she knew Carol was being completely serious. It felt good to laugh after she had been so filled with fear.

They arrived at Therese’s house and Therese went about gathering her things. “I think you should pack for the long term, Therese. I really don’t think you should be staying here for a while.” Therese wished that she could disagree with her, she loved her home and the comfort it brought her, but she knew that Carol was right. At least for the time being, she wasn’t safe here. She walked into her bedroom to grab a duffel bag and Carol followed. As she packed clothes, she turned to see that Carol was sitting on the bench at the end of her bed, watching her every move.

“Like what you see?” she asked, playfully.

“I do,” Carol said, drawing the words out and sounding ridiculously sexy. “This room is so … Therese,” she said, as she got up to look around. “I love it.”

“Well, it is mine after all.” Carol chuckled as she admired the floating shelves on the wall, filled with pictures of animals, books, CDs, small paintings, and odd assortments of knick-knacks.

“Would you mind packing some extra pajamas? I don’t want to go by my place, Abby will get on my last damn nerve.”

Therese laughed and nodded her head. She couldn’t stop smiling thinking about Carol wearing some of her clothing. When Therese had finished packing, and they had gotten back in the car, Carol noticed that it was nearing 9 PM. “Have you had dinner?” she asked Therese.

“No, I honestly forgot about it. But now that you mention it, I’m starving, actually.”

Carol smiled. “Want some junk food?”

Therese smiled in return. “I thought you’d never ask.”

***************

They went to a small old-school diner that was known for its burgers and shakes. The old-school feel of the diner, complete with Formica tables and vinyl booths, made Carol feel like she was in a movie scene. She imagined that she was out on a date with her high school sweetheart and smiled at the silliness of it. She looked down from her menu to see Therese eyeing her.

“What’re you smiling at?” Therese said, through her own smile.

“Oh nothing.”

Therese tutted. “That won’t do. You’ve caught my attention, now you have to tell me.”

“Do I?” Carol asked with a disbelieving smile.

“Mmmhmm.”

“Or what, Miss Belivet? What’ll you do to me?”

Therese sighed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Carol’s smile grew wide and she felt a flush of heat climb up her chest. “I was just imagining that we were high school sweethearts, out on a date.”

Therese’s smile made Carol feel weak. Her dimples popped, and she glowed from within, all from Carol’s simple imaginings. “That’s so cute.” She paused, then looked up, “I bet all the boys on the football team are so jealous that I’ve landed the hottest girl in school.”

Carol played along, “Oh, I think the situation is reversed, dear. Also, I’ve been meaning to ask you …” Carol trailed off and feigned nervousness, “Will you go to prom with me?”

The two laughed out loud as Therese threw her hand to her chest and dropped her mouth in mock surprise. “I’d be honored,” she said fanning her face, pretending that she was choking up.

The waitress came to the table with two greasy burgers, a plate of fries, a strawberry milkshake for Carol, and a vanilla for Therese.

“It’s funny to see you eating a burger,” Therese said while munching on a few fries.

“What, why?” Carol said, before biting into her burger.

“You’re just always so classy and put together. You look like the type who eats a few leaves of kale for dinner.”

Carol laughed, “Well, as flattering as that is,” she said in a joking tone, “I’ll have you know that trash food is my biggest weakness.”

Therese turned her head, clearly surprised. “Who would’ve thought?”

***************

They finished their food and headed to a hotel. Carol chose a luxury hotel and asked Therese to wait in the car while she went to check them in. She knew that if Therese came with her, she would protest to the suite Carol wanted to book. She eventually chose a king bed suite with a balcony, paid, then went back out to the car.

They parked the car and walked into the hotel. Therese stopped in her tracks when she walked through the front door of the marble lobby. “Carol, what the fuck. This is way too nice.”

Carol took Therese’s hand and pulled her towards the elevator. Once the doors had shut behind them, Therese turned to face Carol. “Carol … you really didn’t have to do this.”

Carol laughed. “I promise you, Therese, I’m not the kind of person that does anything because I think I _have_ to. I wanted to do this.”

They remained quiet until they stepped into a large suite, filled with lavish furniture, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a posh, king sized bed. Therese gently sat her duffel bag on the floor. She stood speechless for a moment, then walked further into the room. “Good lord. This is extravagant.”

Carol looked at her shyly, she was beginning to feel ridiculous for such a grand gesture. “I didn’t mean to be pretentious. I wasn’t sure how long you’d need to stay here before we figure this all out. I just wanted you to be comfortable.”

Therese rushed to Carol, pulling her into her arms. “Baby, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that you didn’t have to do all of this,” Therese turned and waved her arm, to gesture towards the room, “for me.”

Therese turned back to Carol and brought her hands to rest behind her neck, clasped together, her thumbs gently massaging Carol. Carol’s senses were heightened by the sound of Therese calling her ‘baby’ for the first time, and she leaned down to meet her lips. Their kiss was as passionate and tender as ever. Carol’s hands slowly migrated to Therese’s hips to pull her closer. She trailed her kisses to Therese’s jawline, then her neck. She licked the length of her neck slowly, then whispered into her ear, “There’s a lot more I’d like to do for you, Therese.”

Therese’s moan was audible. Carol heard unmistakable desire dripping from her voice as she whispered back to her.

“Take me to bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)


	18. Take Me to Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major thank you to everyone for being so patient with me. Life has been busy lately! 
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for your continued support. 
> 
> Please leave comments with your opinions and letting me know how you have been!!

“Take me to bed.” 

Carol pulled back from Therese to meet her eyes. Gone were any traces of fear. Desire had taken its place. But still, she felt she should say something. “Therese, maybe we should wait. You’ve been scared senseless today, I’m not sure I was thinking clearly-”

She was shushed by Therese’s lips meeting hers in a desperate fashion. Therese pushed her aggressively against the door, and Carol was unable to hold back the moan that involuntarily slipped from between her lips. She kissed the length of Carol’s neck and whispered softly into her ear. “I need this.” She paused, and the desperation in her voice threw Carol into motion. “Please, take me to bed.” 

Carol took her hand and led her to the bed. They stood facing each other, the back of Therese’s thighs touching the end of the bed. Carol kissed her deeply, supporting Therese’s neck with her hand. She felt sure of herself but wanted to check in. “Therese, you’re sure you want to do this now?” 

Therese took both of Carol’s hands into her own, kissing each one softly across the knuckles. Then she slowly moved them to her breasts, using her hands over Carol’s to gently lift and knead them. Therese’s eyes fluttered closed, as she leaned her head down, gasped, then did her best to smoothly exhale. Carol’s own chest was heaving as Therese looked up to meet Carol’s eyes. Her voice was soft, but confident. “Carol, please. Take me.” 

Carol could not hold back anymore. As Therese’s hands fell away to her sides, she continued to softly massage Therese’s breasts through her shirt and bra. Carol noticed that Therese had started to bite her lip in an effort to stifle her moan. She moved her hands away from Therese’s chest and brought one to her back, pulling her closer. Her other hand went to Therese’s cheek, to caress the soft skin. She used her thumb to tug gently at Therese’s bottom lip to free it from her teeth. Once free, Carol gently pulled at Therese’s lip with her teeth, which elicited a small moan from the younger woman. While deep in a kiss that was making Therese’s legs tremble, Carol brought her hands to the hem of Therese’s shirt to slowly lift the garment off her. Carol broke the kiss when the shirt had been pulled up to Therese’s bra. She lifted it over the younger woman’s head and her hands moved to Therese’s breasts on their own accord. Carol was awestruck by the beauty in front of her. Therese was nothing short of a masterpiece in an emerald green lace bra and jeans that clung to her lithe frame in all the right places. “Therese, you look …” she paused, taking in Therese’s body. She could see cold chills rising across her smooth skin as she finished the sentence, “Delicious.” 

Carol moved her lips to Therese’s collarbone. She took her time here, gently nipping, sucking, and licking the sensitive skin. Therese’s moans and sighs made her painfully aware of her own wetness, and she felt supremely lucky to be where she was in this moment. She felt soft, tentative hands lifting her shirt and nails digging lightly into her back when she began to kiss at the top of Therese’s breasts. Therese tucked her head into to the crook of Carol’s neck, kissing and biting her softly as Carol kissed her chest. Therese’s warm breath against Carol’s neck was enough to set her on fire, and she had to resist the urge to tear the rest of Therese’s clothing off and throw her on the bed. 

Therese whispered softly and shyly, “Can I take your shirt off?”   
Carol pulled herself away from Therese’s chest and started to pull her own shirt off when Therese stopped her by bringing her hands to Carol’s. “Let me do that.” They both smiled as Carol’s shirt came over her head. They pressed their bodies together and felt the indescribable sensation of feeling each other without the barrier of clothing. Therese couldn’t resist and brought her hands to Carol’s back to unclasp her bra. She moved the straps down Carol’s arms to remove it fully. 

When Therese looked down to see Carol’s bare breasts, her breath caught in her throat.  She placed her palms flat against Carol’s chest, beside her shoulders and right above each of her breasts. She slowly trailed her hands lower until she was cupping a breast in each of her hands. “Oh Carol … You’re beautiful.” Carol maintained eye contact with Therese as the younger woman softly took her hardened nipples between her fingers and gently tugged. Carol brought her arms over Therese’s shoulders and laced her fingers in her hair. 

Therese timidly asked, “Is this okay?” 

The sensation of Therese’s careful fingers on Carol’s breasts took away her ability to speak, so she mumbled a soft “Mmmhmm”. As Carol closed her eyes, letting the pleasure wash over her, Therese watched her face carefully for signs of how to proceed. She could no longer resist the urge to take a hardened nipple into her mouth and placed featherlight kisses down her breasts. She swirled her tongue over the darkened rose-colored peaks and heard Carol’s sharp inhale and felt her hands pulling at her hair, pulling her closer to her chest. She sucked a rigid bud into her mouth, kissed her way to the other, and repeated the movement. By now, Carol’s hands were all over Therese, grabbing hair and digging her nails into soft skin, doing anything to try to keep herself upright. She pulled Therese’s mouth back towards hers and kissed her forcefully. She felt intoxicated with a desire that had consumed her. 

Carol pushed Therese against the end of the bed until Therese’s knees bent and she fell back against it. Her smile and soft laughter melted Carol and she knew that this feeling she possessed  was love. She was going to be making love to this woman. 

Therese scooted back on the bed. Carol following her by hovering over her and crawling with her. This movement alone, seeing Carol above her with eyes revealing such an intense desire, brought on a pulsing feeling between her legs that could be chalked up to anticipation. Carol kissed up Therese’s soft belly, taking her time to worship the beautiful form beneath her. Carol noted that her lower belly was particularly sensitive and paid special attention to the responsive area. When she tugged Therese’s jeans down to lick across her lower abdomen, she was rewarded with an intense moan that made her mad with lust. She took Therese’s hands to pull her up so that she was sitting upright, and with expert skill, removed her bra one-handed before gently pushing her back down on the bed. She wasted no time taking a hardened nipple into her mouth and gently rolling it between her teeth. She noticed that Therese had thrown one of her hands over her mouth in what she supposed was an effort to try to stifle her moans. Carol took both of Therese’s hands and pinned them down above her head, leaving her lover writhing beneath her. 

“Let me hear you, baby,” she said, her voice electrifying Therese. 

Therese’s hands still above her head, Carol continued her ministrations on the younger woman’s breasts. She was surprised to find that Therese liked to be bitten harder than she expected, and this, coupled with Therese’s increasingly raucous moans, turned her on all the more. 

When Carol’s mouth began to water for something else, Carol unbuttoned Therese’s jeans and slowly slid a hand  down Therese’s pants. She gently wiggled her fingers rhythmically against the wet fabric, drumming against Therese’s most sensitive parts . Therese moved her hips in a desperate effort to keep contact with Carol’s fingers and increase pressure where she wanted it most. 

Carol’s smile was deliciously provocative as she said, “My baby, you’re soaked.” Her seriously alluring tone made Therese whimper with need. 

Carol wasted no time removing Therese’s jeans and found gorgeous panties to match the bra she had previously removed. “Hmmm, Therese Belivet, it looks like you were planning to get me in bed all along.” 

Therese giggled shyly. “I may or may not have changed at my house. You know, just in case.”

Carol kissed up her body, and lifted her head slightly so that Therese could feel her lips moving against her belly as she said sensuously, “Is that so?” She continued her trail up to Therese’s mouth, reuniting their lips in a crushing kiss. 

“Yes,” Therese answered in a whisper as Carol tugged at her earlobe with her teeth. 

Carol’s breath in her ear caused her to gasp. “And what was this ‘just in case’ scenario you were picturing?” 

Still hovering over top of Therese, Carol slowly moved one of her hands down to Therese’s center, dragging her nails against Therese’s skin to intensify the sensation. She cupped Therese’s crotch in her hand, releasing a choked moan from Therese. Therese began to rock her hips against Carol’s hand but found that Carol kept her hand in place so that she was unable to get the feeling she so desperately wanted. “Carol …” she begged. 

“Tell me, baby.”

“Just in case you …” she trailed off into a moan as Carol rewarded her with the increased pressure of her hand. 

“Just in case what, Therese?”

“Mmm fuck …” Therese said softly, struggling to think enough to answer Carol’s question. “You said you wanted my legs wrapped around your head.” 

Carol smiled against Therese’s neck, remembering their intimate night on the phone.  “I did. And is that what you want?” 

“Yes. Please.” Therese voice was a soft whisper that cut through her moaning. 

“Say it to me,” Carol demanded, although her voice was somehow full of tenderness. 

“Please. I want … I want your mouth on me.” 

Feeling Carol move down her body, Therese’s mind let go of all the events of the day. Gone was the worry of Genevieve and Richard. The only thing that remained was Carol. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time writing this chapter, especially after a few of you expressed that you didn't feel it was a good idea to have Carol and Therese have their first time after Therese had been so upset and scared. I thought about this a lot, but ultimately, I just knew this was the right time for our girls. Also, the end of this chapter isn't the end of the scene, it will continue next chapter, so hopefully this chapter and the next will make you guys feel like I made the right choice. But still, I'd love to hear your opinions regardless of if you feel like I made the right choice.


	19. Come here, Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The night continues ;) 
> 
> Side note: Although I've had enough naughty imaginings for a lifetime, I've never actually written smut, so I would really appreciate some feedback on this one.

Carol kissed her way down Therese’s body, feeling her chest heave against her lips and her belly quiver. She moved downward until she slid off of the bed, standing upright at the end of it. Therese sat up, leaning against her elbows, looking up at Carol confusedly. Carol smiled at the gorgeous green eyes that looked up at her. It was amazing that Therese could look so innocent and so lustful at the same time, and it drove Carol even further. 

“Come here, you,” Carol said, hooking her arms under the bend in Therese’s knees and pulling her forward. Therese fell backwards and erupted into a fit of giggles as Carol pulled her towards her so that her center met her and her legs were dangling off of the bed. 

Still giggling, Therese sat up so that she was eye level with Carol’s chest. Carol leaned down and placed her hands on either side of Therese’s head so that her thumbs were caressing her dimpled cheeks. “These dimples are going to be the end of me, Therese,” she said before their lips met. They kissed through a smile and a surge went through Carol. She was in the midst of a moment that could define the word ‘happiness’ in the truest sense. Though things had turned playful, the heat between them had not lessened at all. Tongues clashing, teeth tugging lips, lips hungrily devouring each other, Therese’s hands wandered down Carol’s belly. She abruptly pulled back when she reached the waistline of her pants. 

“Hey!” she protested, “You still have these on.” Carol laughed as Therese pulled at her pants. 

“It would seem so. Should I take them off?”

“Let me think,” Therese said, lifting her chin pretending to think. “Yes,” she said drawing out the word and looking to Carol with a smile adorning her face.

Carol began lowering her pants, when Therese stopped her. She tugged at her panties, “You forgot these, these need to go too.” 

Carol felt the cold air of the room hit her heat. She could see Therese eying her center, and felt slightly unnerved as she used her feet to try to shimmy out of her pants. She placed her hands on Therese’s shoulders to keep her balance during this maneuver. With Carol bent slightly to keep her hands on Therese’s shoulders, and thus, her balance, Therese could reach her breasts and she kissed them sweetly, periodically using her tongue to brush against Carol’s hardened nipples. With weak knees, it took Carol longer than she would have liked to get her pants and panties from around her ankles. She had to stop trying a few times because the pleasure prevented her from keeping her balance on just one foot, even while holding on to Therese. Eventually, though, she managed to rid herself of her clothing and stand upright again. With Carol’s change in posture, Therese’s kisses landed on her belly. Therese looked up, resting her chin on Carol’s stomach, and Carol melted from the sight of her eyes, clearly portraying how much she desired  and cared for Carol. 

“You’re so gorgeous, Carol,” Therese whispered. Carol started to respond, words forming on her lips, but she was stopped. Therese had brought her hand up to Carol’s center, cupping her wet cunt in her hand. Carol hadn’t expected this, and her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes stayed with Therese, who she could tell was watching her closely for signs of how to proceed. Therese began to move her fingers back and forth, only giving Carol light pressure where she desired it the most. Carol craved more intense stimulation, and every time Therese neared her clit, she thrust her pelvis forward in an effort to get her finger deeper in her depths, to increase the pressure where she desired it most. 

“Baby, you’re teasing me,” Carol said, her voice whiny and breathless, giving away fully how much more she desired. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that,” Therese said back, her tone somehow sexy and playful at the same time. 

“You’re getting yourself in deep, Ms. Belivet.” 

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Therese’s sensuous tone was enough to push Carol over the edge. She pushed Therese back on the bed, making the young woman gasp in surprise and pleasure. She moved onto the bed to straddle her so that her knees were beside her torso and her feet were dangling off the bed. 

“Two can play this game, baby.” Therese was breathless as Carol moved down her body. She used her tongue to make narrowing circles on Therese’s breasts. Every time she got close to Therese’s nipples, she would move to the other breast and start the process over again, leaving Therese at her mercy. Therese was desperate for anything and pulled Carol up for a kiss. Her lips met Carol’s hungrily, bruising them both with the crushing pressure of her need. 

Carol brought a hand to one of Therese’s breasts and used two of her fingers to tug gently at a darkened peak. After being teased, the pleasure nearly made Therese erupt and she tucked her head into Carol’s shoulder and bit down on her to keep from screaming out. Carol was caught off-guard by Therese’s bite, but it fanned the fire all the more. 

She could no longer resist and kissed her way down Therese’s body, making her way to her center. She gracefully slid off the bed and onto her knees so that her mouth was level with Therese’s waiting cunt. Swollen and glistening, Carol doubted that she had ever seen anything more beautiful. Therese’s need and desire was laid bare in front of her, and the visible effect she was having on the younger woman was nothing short of amazing .

Therese was feeling vulnerable, but willed herself to keep her legs open, to give all of herself shamelessly over to her lover. Carol rewarded her with soft kisses on the inside of her left thigh. She slowly moved to the right. Therese held her breath as Carol kissed lightly across her cunt. Her exhale was shaky and audible as Carol kissed onto her right thigh. Finishing her ministrations on Therese’s thighs, Carol returned to where Therese wanted her most. She moved her head up and down as she blew a slow stream of air onto her center. Therese arched her back and held her breath once more.

“Breathe, baby,” Carol said, her tone full of affection for the girl coming undone before her. 

Lightly and slowly, Carol moved her tongue up Therese’s slit. She made several passes up and down, each time delving further into Therese’s folds until she could feel her clit, rigid against her tongue. 

Therese’s sounds gave her all the reassurance she needed to keep going. “Oh, fuck … oh, Carol … fuck,” she panted through moans. 

Carol pulled back momentarily.  “You’re divine, Therese,” she said huskily, as she lifted Therese’s legs over her shoulders. She could no longer resist the urge to dive head first into the girl that had been on her mind night and day since their chance meeting. She let her tongue delve fully into Therese, moving it slowly around Therese’s clit. She looked up to see Therese’s back arched, her chest heaving, and her hands frantically searching for something to hold onto, to anchor herself to. Carol lowered herself to let her tongue lap at Therese’s opening, tasting her fully. She moaned into Therese, and let her tongue slide into her, feeling her walls clench around her. Carol slid her hands up to Therese’s abdomen in an effort to hold her still. Therese laced their fingers together, needing to hold on to Carol. Carol had found a pattern, inserting her tongue into Therese, bringing it up to circle her clit slowly, then back down to repeat. It was obvious to Carol that Therese was approaching her peak rapidly. Therese’s heels were both pressed into Carol’s back, drawing her in closer. Carol could feel her legs shaking deliciously against her, and her hands, still latched onto Carol’s, were shaking as well. Her breathing was becoming erratic and heavy. 

Therese had experienced orgasms from her own hands before, but this experience was so new. She was so overwhelmed by this new pleasure that she almost could not detect how near her impending orgasm was. She was stuck between wanting more control of her body and wanting to give complete control up to Carol. 

Carol sensed her lover’s brief hesitation and spoke calmly to her, her lips brushing against her. “Let go, baby. Let me see you come undone.”

Carol returned to the pattern that had brought Therese to the edge and looked up to see her, wanting to capture the moment in its entirety. The repeated motions of her tongue drove Therese to the edge, and she witnessed the exact moment when Therese soared off of that ledge. Her back arched beautifully. Her legs wrapped around Carol, bringing her in further. Her hands brought Carol’s hands to the sides of her hips, pinning them down to anchor herself to the bed. And for a moment, silence. Sweet silence as Therese held her breath with her eyes shut tight and her mouth opened beautifully. Her muscles flexed, her legs wound tightly around Carol. Carol slowed the movements of her tongue to make slow circles around the younger woman’s clit to carry her through the moment. Then her chest heaved and a heavy moan was let loose from the depths of her chest. Her legs loosened and shook against Carol’s shoulders. Her hands tugged Carol upwards, needing her closer to her. As Carol moved back on the bed, she felt Therese’s hands all over her, scratching and pulling everywhere, desperate to feel Carol close to her while she was riding out her ecstacy. Carol straddled her again and lowered her body onto Therese’s feeling her trembling beneath her. Carol moved her arms beneath Therese’s neck to pull her in a close embrace. Therese wrapped her arms and legs around Carol, needing her as close as possible. With gentle kisses on her neck and shoulders, Therese’s breathing calmed and her shaking eventually ceased. Carol moved so that she was laying beside Therese. Therese sat up to scoot to the top of the bed. She reached down to grab Carol’s hand to pull her, whispering softly, “Come here, baby.” 

Carol moved to the top of the bed to meet her lover. They both lay on their sides, looking at one another. Carol had the incredulous look on her face from seeing something so incredibly beautiful and knowing that she was the reason for its happening. Therese was flushed and left in the wake of a passion that consumed her so wholly, she wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened yet. 

Therese smiled shyly and bit her lip. She looked at Carol through her lashes. Carol tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“My Therese … The things you do to me … the effect you have on me” Carol whispered, grinning sweetly.

Therese inched closer to her. With her lips brushing against Carol’s, she whispered, “I’d like to find out.” She reached down to grab at Carol’s knee and pull it upwards so that Carol’s leg was bent on top of Therese’s hip, holding her open. Therese trailed her hand down Carol’s belly slowly, then met her wetness. She gasped, loving the silken feeling of her lover. She moved her fingers slowly around Carol, becoming accustomed to the feeling of her, the feeling of another woman. Carol’s hand, resting on Therese’s arm, became a guide for the younger woman. Therese noticed that each time her fingers came near Carol’s opening, Carol would hold her breath and squeeze Therese’s arm.

Taking this as a sign, Therese inserted a finger into Carol. Carol’s sigh and moan let Therese know that this was what her lover waned. “Is this what you needed, baby?” Therese asked to confirm.

Beyond being able to form an eloquent answer, Carol panted, “Mmmm, Therese, please … Fuck me.” 

While keeping her finger where Carol wanted it,Therese moved so she was on her knees with Carol flat on her back. The younger woman knew that this position would allow her to give Carol what she needed. She moved her finger at a faster pace, using her thumb to find Carol’s clit. Carol was a writhing, beautiful mess beneath Therese. And once Therese inserted a second finger into Carol, the older woman knew that she was about to come to a peak that was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Therese was awestruck by the body beneath her, writhing in pleasure, pulling her deeper, begging her to go faster, to fuck her hard. Carol, the same woman that was always so in control, always poised and confident, was beautifully falling apart and letting go right before her. “You feel so good, Carol” Therese whispered, and Carol reached her peak. She wrapped her hand around the back of Therese’s neck, pulling her to her chest, and placed her other hand between her legs, to hold Therese’s fingers deep within her. Therese lay on top of her, kissing her chest and feeling Carol’s walls clench divinely against her fingers. For awhile, they laid still, Carol holding Therese to her, and Therese kissing her chest softly. When Carol moved her hand away, Therese gently pulled out of Carol. 

Therese had almost fallen asleep laying on Carol’s chest when she heard a soft whisper. 

“God, how I love you.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I apologize for my over use of the word 'baby'. I'm just a total sucker for it. And coming from Carol ... is it hot in here?


	20. Erupt Into Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE EXCUSE MY ABSENCE, I AM SO SORRY!!  
> All I can say in my defense is that school and life got REALLY busy. Finals happened, the semester ended, I moved for the summer to start an internship, and life got crazy. But I swear, not a day went by that I did not think up ideas for this fic. With that being said, it was hard for me to continue this story after being away for so long. I tried my best to keep things flowing in the typical tone, so any feedback on that (even if it's not good) is very, very welcome.   
> Thank you so those that looked for this story in the past few months, you are the sweetest.   
> For now, I'm back and things will keep rolling!! Just to let everyone know, I fully intend to carry this story through to the end, even if it takes me awhile. 
> 
> ANYWAY, I'd love to hear how everyone is doing, how the summer has been, and what you think of the latest chapter. 
> 
> WE'VE MADE IT TO 20, FOLKS!!

Therese was nearly asleep, in a dream-like trance, when she heard Carol.

“God, how I love you.” 

The striking confession roused Therese from the confines of sleep and she lifted her head, using one of her elbows to the side of Carol’s chest to support her as she looked down at the goddess beneath her. Therese was awestruck, not only by how beautiful Carol looked in the dim light of the hotel room, but by her revelation of love. Unable to immediately find the words, Therese brought her other hand up to caress Carol’s cheek, using her thumb to trace the outline of her bottom lip. She lowered herself to meet Carol’s lips with her own. Their kiss was passionate, as their bodies entwined and their hands roamed over each other. When their lips parted, Therese rested her forehead on Carol’s. 

“I love you too,” she said softly. 

Carol’s smile was a million watts, and all-encompassing. “Thank God, or this would have been really awkward.” Therese collapsed on top of her, leaning her head under Carol’s chin in a fit of laughter. Carol brought her arms around her, holding her close, and tilted her head downwards to kiss the top of Therese’s head, through laughter. “Let’s get some sleep, baby.” 

Bodies still entwined, they both drifted into a peaceful sleep. 

***************

Therese woke up with a chill, feeling the air hit her bare chest and shoulders. She pulled the heavy comforter upwards as she sat up on her elbow. The sounds of Therese’s movements in the bed caused Carol, who was standing at the window with a cup of coffee to look towards her. She couldn’t help but smile at Therese’s adorably tousled hair. She noticed Therese’s cheeks redden as a smile creeped up. “Hi,” Therese said shyly through a chuckle. 

“Hi.” Carol smiled as well, her tone soft. “Did you sleep okay?”

“I did,” Therese smiled inwardly,  “It’s so weird, it was like someone had exhausted me with a night of passionate love making.”

Carol laughed “Oh yeah? Sounds like a good time.” 

“I thought so too,” Therese bit her lip. “Come back to bed with me?” 

Carol smiled warmly and walked over to the bed. As she was bending over to sit her coffee cup down on the nightstand, her eyes caught Therese sneakily trying to undo the tie that was holding her robe closed. Carol made eye contact with Therese, who was smiling cheekily. 

“If I’m naked, you have to be naked too,” Therese explained, grin still in place. 

“Is that so?” Carol teased. She shrugged her robe off of her shoulders and Therese’s heart swelled. She would never tire of this sight. 

As Carol made her way under the sheets, their bodies naturally came together, their beings like magnets that could not be forced apart under any circumstances. Their embrace was sweet and tender, coupled with periodic kisses on their necks and shoulders.  Therese was melting like butter in Carol’s arms, and Carol could tell.    
“How are you feeling after last night?” Carol asked, her tone soft, sweet, and inquisitive. 

Therese exhaled slowly and whispered into Carol’s ear, “Good.” She paused, chuckling softly, “Really, really good.” They both giggled shyly into one another. “How are you feeling?”

Carol smiled against Therese’s neck. “Sore, but in a really, really good way.” Therese blushed, her face tucked into the crook of Carol’s neck, hiding her from Carol's view, which Therese was thankful for. 

The two lay there together, their bodies fitted perfectly together, sweetly drifting in and out of sleep. 

***************

Carol ignored the first ring of her phone, but was unable to ignore the seemingly endless subsequent rings. She shimmied out of the bed, trying not to wake her once again sleeping Therese, grabbed her robe, and went to retrieve her phone out of her bag. Her screen displayed Abby’s name, which was no surprise to her. 

“Hello?” 

“Morning, Carol. Or, good afternoon, actually.” Carol lifted her phone off of her ear to see that it was nearing 12:30 in the afternoon. “Thanks for rushing to answer my calls. It’s not like I was worried or anything.” 

Carol put her hand to her head, her thumb going to her temple, and the rest of her fingers resting on her forehead. She knew how irresponsible it was of her to blow Abby off, but with everything that had happened with Therese last night, she really did forget about letting her know where she was going for the night. 

“Abby, I’m sorry. Really, it just slipped my mind, I got caught up-”

“Yeah, yeah I don’t need all the details about your romp in the hay, you old cougar.” Carol scoffed at this. “What’s going on? Is Therese okay? Are  _ you _ okay?” Abby's voice was filled with concern, and it warmed Carol to known that her friend cared so deeply for her, and now Therese. 

“We’re fine, we just came to a hotel. I didn’t think it was safe for Therese to go home, and we wanted some, um privacy, so we came here.”

“Great, well, I hope you enjoyed your “privacy”. Rindy has been asking me where you were and I told her you and Therese were out exploring. I left it at exploring, and didn’t add  _ each others bodies _ , so you’re welcome for that.” 

“Oh thanks, Abby. I really appreciate it, because you definitely couldn’t have said something that would solicit less questions,” Carol said sarcastically. 

“Well, my first thought was to say you two had tickets to an all night fuck fest, so I figured you would be happy with that answer, but I can go back to my first thought.” The two laughed at each other’s sarcastic tones with one another. “Really though, what’s going on Carol?”

Carol thought for a moment. “I really don’t know, Abby. Therese and I are going to go to the courthouse to talk about a restraining order, but we don’t know anything beyond that.”

“I mean, that’s a good starting place, but it can take awhile for those to go into effect, Carol. Aren’t you worried about something happening in the meantime?”

Carol watched Therese get out of bed and head to the bathroom. Her naked form caught her off guard, and she involuntarily held her breath. She did her best to clear her mind as Therese shut the door behind her. “Of course I’m worried. We’ll figure something out. Look, I’m going to talk to Therese and I’ll get back to you in an hour or so.”

“Alright. I'll talk to you later, cradle robber.” 

Carol hung up the phone laughing and shaking her head. 

***************

Carol thanked her lucky stars that the bathroom door was unlocked. She could hear the sounds of Therese showering, humming softly. 

The shower was huge, with two shower heads and a bench on the far side of the shower, away from the shower heads. Therese was standing under the shower head, water beautifully descending down her body. Her arms were upstretched, with her fingers running through her hair, which exposed her breasts perfectly to an awestruck Carol, who remained standing in place. Quietly, she shut the door behind her. When she turned back around, her eyes met with Therese’s and they were both momentarily stuck in the trance of each other’s beauty. Therese brought her arms down, feeling slightly self conscious about Carol’s uninhibited gaze. 

“Can I join you?” Carol said, her tone deep and sensuous. 

Therese simply nodded her head, suddenly aching to feel Carol’s naked body against hers again as she watched her lover disrobe. Carol walked slowly to the shower door, opened it, then closed it behind her. She met Therese and they took a moment to hold each others hands and let their eyes freely roam over one another’s seemingly perfect forms. The small distance between them suddenly seeming far too great, they each stepped in towards one another, their lips meeting forcefully. Carol wasted no time and pushed Therese back against the shower wall, soliciting a moan from the younger woman. Therese’s breasts looked divine with water slowly dripping off of them, making their way down her body. Carol was helpless as her body moved on its own accord to take an already hardened nipple into her mouth. 

Therese let out a breathy moan, which Carol stifled by bring her lips back up to Therese’s. 

“We should go to the courthouse,” Carol whispered into Therese’s ear while using her fingers to gently tug at Therese’s role colored peaks. Therese never in her life imagined that such a mundane sentence would sound so sexy. 

Therese, struggling to form any sort of coherent thought could only respond with a breathy, “Yes … we should.” 

Carol’s hand trailed down Therese’s quivering belly, meeting her soft wispy hair. Therese moved one of her hands down to meet Carol’s, pushing her hand down so that it was fully between her legs. Carol smile against Therese’s neck, which she had been gently nipping at. “Mmm, you’re so ready for me, Therese,” she practically growled. She began to move her fingers back and forth, coating herself in Therese’s wetness. “But, we should definitely get going.” 

“Yes … Definitely,” Therese said, her words coming out as moans. Carol neared her entrance repeatedly after tracing slow circles around her clit, which left Therese feeling very weak. Having never fingered herself, she was not familiar with the feeling of being penetrated, but she was suddenly desperate for Carol’s fingers deep inside of her. 

“I mean, it’s completely irresponsible for us to be doing this right now,” Carol paused to sensually move her tongue up the length of Therese’s neck, “Don’t you think, baby?” 

Her tone was enough to make Therese whimper in agony, Carol’s teasing pushing her to the very edge, but always bringing her back. “Yes, completely,” Therese said breathily. She couldn’t take it anymore, “Carol, please … I can’t take … Please, fuck me.”

Carol loved the way such naughty things sounded coming from Therese’s innocent mouth. She brought one of her arms around Therese’s back and penned her to the wall with her body, using her weight to keep a very unsteady Therese upright. Gently and slowly, she brought a finger to Therese’s entrance, then entered her. Therese’s head dropped, and with it her mouth. Her eyebrows rose together to make a face that was overcome by pleasure. The feeling of being filled by Carol was exquisite and nothing like she could have imagined. 

Carol took her time inserting the entire length of her finger, watching Therese carefully, her own wetness intensifying with the all-consuming look of bliss she was witnessing on Therese’s face. Once she had reached her knuckle, she paused to give Therese’s body time to acclimate to her, the whole time reveling in the feeling of Therese’s body conforming itself to her. “Is this okay, baby?” Carol asked gently as she proceeded to slowly move her finger. 

Therese could not find the right words. Instead she managed, “Oh, fuck Carol …,” trailing off into a moan. 

As Carol quickened her movements, Therese’s moans became near screams, the pleasure leaving her uninhibited and entirely open to her lover. Carol skillfully used her thumb to circle Therese’s clit, which made Therese’s entire body go weak. Therese wrapped her arms around Carol, hugging her to her, pulling on her body in an effort to remain upright. When Carol felt that Therese was ready, she gently inserted another finger. This was exactly what Therese needed; As soon as Carol’s fingers were fully inserted, Therese reached her peak forcefully and unexpectedly. Carol supported Therese’s full weight as Therese cried out, her cunt pulsing around Carol’s fingers. Carol stilled her fingers, holding Therese and kissing her softly to carry through her climax. Slowly moving her fingers out, Carol felt Therese’s body come back to life, her legs bearing her weight again. Therese pulled Carol’s mouth to hers, their kisses soft and loving. Therese pulled back from Carol to see the blue eyes that she’d come to love so much.

She smiled sweetly, her face still flushed, as she pushed against Carol’s body, forcing her to walk backwards. The two walked in unison, Carol walking backwards, Therese walking forwards, both giggling and smiling the whole way. They stopped when Carol’s legs touched against the bench at the other end of the shower. Therese pressed against Carol’s shoulders, signaling for Carol to sit on the bench. Once seated, Therese leaned over, and in a seductive voice that brought cold chills to Carol’s warm skin said, “The courthouse isn't going anywhere, I want to taste you. Now” 

As Therese kissed her way down Carol’s body, Carol was unsure of how her whole body didn’t erupt into flames. 

Therese sank to her knees and used a hand on each of Carol's knees to press her open. This was the first time she was seeing Carol so fully exposed, glistening and waiting for her. She looked up to meet Carol's eyes and was surprised to find a suddenly shy Carol looking down at her. Still holding Carol's gaze with her own, Therese brought one of her hand's to Carol's waiting cunt and used her thumb to rub up and down her slit. As Therese visibly saw some of Carol's walls come down in a response to Carol's hand, she said confidently, "You are  _so_ perfect." 

She lowered herself so that she was inches from Carol's center. As Therese placed soft kisses on Carol's cunt, Carol sighed, her body releasing all of its typical rigidity. She has been scared of this moment. Scared for Therese to see her up close, and scared to be the first woman that Therese had ever had her mouth on. But all of those thoughts were erased as she felt Therese's tongue exploring her, claiming her, and showing her that she was safe. Knowing that Therese had no experience, she was unsure of what to expect, but Therese listed to Carol's body expertly, taking meaning from even the smallest of Carol's movements. 

Therese navigated these new waters fearlessly, wanting to know Carol completely, and letting her tongue explore every area of her lover. She found that Carol's entrance was particularly sensitive. She looked up to see Carol's eyes shut, her hands gripping the side of the bench with white knuckles, looking more beautiful than she'd ever seen her, if at all possible. As Therese used two fingers to enter Carol and paid more attention to Carol's swollen clit with her tongue, Carol could not stop her hands from moving to Therese's hair, guiding her and pulling her closer. 

Seeing Carol come some completely undone, Therese smiled sweetly against her. 

Carol's moans became words: "Therese please ... don't stop .. please don't ...," then soon became incoherent as she neared climax. 

With another deep thrust, Carol's hips lifted off of the bench. Her legs wrapped around Therese, ankles crossed over each other and heels pressed into the younger woman's back. Her back arched as the back of her head rode up against the shower wall. Her moan revealed fully the pleasure she was experiencing and reverberated exquisitely off the bathroom walls. 

When Carol's legs loosened their hold on Therese, she gently removed her fingers and softly moved her tongue up and down Carol's slit, carrying her through her peak. As Carol regained movement, she slid off of the bench, and moved down to the floor to meet Therese. They wrapped their arms and legs around each other, basking in the warmth that they had created. Basking in their new love. 


	21. Say it Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Per Miss_K's request ;)
> 
> This is a bit shorter than I usually go, but I've decided that I'll go shorter to be able to update more often. 
> 
> Anyhow, Ligeria helped me to get this chapter together, so HUGE thanks to her (she is amazing, as I'm sure many of you are already aware) 
> 
> As always, I love your comments and I always look forward to reading them. I am so thankful to all of the regular readers that continue to leave comments and stay with the story. I also always wonder if anyone is reading this for the first time still. Anyway, much love to you all!

Therese and Carol remained wrapped around each other. They went quiet, simply enjoying the feeling of being together in their post intimacy haze. Therese was the first to speak. “I love you,” she whispered as she lowered her head so that her forehead rested on Carol’s shoulder. Her voice was so soft that Carol had to strain to hear it above the sound of the shower. 

“Say it again,” Carol whispered back, and she could feel Therese smile against her neck as she kissed her there, sending shivers up Carol’s spine, even though the air was thick from the heat of the shower. 

“I. Love. You,” Therese said between kisses that she tenderly placed on Carol’s neck and collarbone. 

Carol sighed and pulled Therese’s chin up with her hand. “You’re going to be the end of me, Miss Belivet. Now, as much as I don’t want to, I think we should get going. But first,”  she said, smiling wryly ,  “I’d like to play a game with you.” 

Carol extracted herself from Therese and stood up, reaching her hand down for Therese. Carol turned  off the water as Therese got out of the shower.  She watched Carol with a raised eyebrow as the older woman laid out a towel on the expanse of marble countertop across from the shower. 

“What kind of game is this?” Therese asked suspiciously. 

Carol turned around, her back against the counter. She smirked as she made a ‘come here’ motion. Therese walked towards her, biting her lip. When Therese pressed her body against Carol’s, the older woman smiled slyly and placed her hands on Therese’s hips. She gracefully turned them around so that Therese’s back was against the counter. Carol leaned down to kiss Therese’s neck and she could feel the younger girl going weak in her arms, melting into her. “I think you’ll like this game, Therese.” The way she drew her name out made Therese’s heart beat rapidly. Carol brushed a few errant strands of hair off of Therese’s damp forehead and kissed her there. 

“Mmm, be still my heart,” Therese purred from the sweetness of the gesture and the feel of Carol’s lusciously soft lips against her forehead. 

Carol looked at her with such tenderness in her eyes that Therese could have wept. But she watched the metamorphosis in Carol’s eyes. The tenderness changed to  seductiveness as the corners of her mouth turned up into a smirk. “You might be familiar with this game  – it’s called ‘what do you want’.”

Therese giggled. “Oh, so now you like my game?” 

Carol smiled back at her .  “I’ll admit, I wasn’t fond of it the first time around. But then I did some thinking about how we could play in a different context.” 

Therese raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Care to enlighten me?” 

The force of Carol’s kiss surprised Therese and she could instantly feel a wetness blossoming between her legs that couldn't be attributed to the shower they had just stepped out of. Carol’s hands were in her hair, on her neck, running down her body. Therese  felt her everywhere. “I’d love to,” Carol whispered into her ear, and Therese  thought  she could have melted into a pool of liquid from the sensuality of Carol’s deepening voice. 

Carol bent down slightly, wrapped her arms around the bottom of Therese’s ass, and lifted her effortlessly onto the toweled counter. The gesture left Therese breathless. 

Positioned between Therese’s legs, Carol’s hands rested on the younger woman’s thighs and Therese’s hands rested on Carol’s shoulders. 

“Therese,” Carol whispered,  smiling .

“Carol,” she replied. 

“What do you want?” 

The answer was out of Therese’s mouth before she even had time to think. “Kiss me.” 

Carol leaned into her slowly, drawing the moment out. She brushed her lips against Therese’s, then pulled back, teasing the younger woman. Carol smiled and Therese lightly pinched her side. 

“Ow!” Carol feigned being hurt. “Careful darling, or I won’t give you what you want.” 

She was shushed by Therese pulling her in for a kiss. Carol gently tugged against Therese’s bottom lip, soliciting a moan from the younger woman. She pulled away from Therese and felt overwhelming love for the flushed beauty before her. “What do you want now, baby?” 

“I want your hands on me.” Therese’s voice sounded whiny and desperate, although their game had just begun. 

Carol grinned. “And where would you like my hands?” 

Therese squirmed under Carol’s firm gaze. She took each of Carol’s hands in her own and brought them to her breasts. Carol used her fingers to tug at Therese’s nipples, giving Therese exactly what she wanted, without making her say it fully. 

Carol leaned into Therese and the younger woman wrapped her legs around her back. Carol kissed her neck and licked up the length of her neck to her ear, then whispered, “What do you want?” 

“Feel how wet you make me,” Therese said breathlessly. 

Therese could tell from the look on Carol’s face that she had surprised her with her statement. 

Carol gasped when she made contact with Therese’s wetness. “Fuck, Therese. You’re so wet.” Therese loved the sound of Carol cursing in such an  erotic way. Carol made slow circles around Therese’s clit, causing her legs to shake involuntarily. Therese leaned herself back, so that she was resting on her elbows and her head was against the wall behind the counter. 

Her chest was heaving as Carol said, “What do you want, my baby?” 

Therese met her eyes. “I want you inside me. Please.” 

Carol swiftly entered Therese with two fingers, surprising the younger woman and making her back arch with pleasure. She could feel Therese’s walls clenching divinely around her fingers, and she marveled at how perfect Therese looked, overcome by the bliss Carol was giving her. 

“What do you want, Therese?” Carol’s voice was commanding but sensual at the same time. 

“I .. fuck …” Therese struggled  to say . “Make me cum.” 

Carol complied, fucking Therese and using her thumb to rub against her clit. Therese’s body shook and her back arched as she came undone, practically screaming Carol’s name. 

**************

Some 30 miles away, while Therese and Carol are managing to get dressed to head to the courthouse, two men and a young woman are sitting down at the kitchen table in her apartment. 

The older man looks at the young woman skeptic ally.  “You’re sure you can do this?” 

“Yes. Is there a problem?” she retorts. 

He shakes his head, and looks down at his hands. “No, you’re just young, that’s all.” 

The young woman rolls her eyes and takes a puff off of her cigarette. “Anyway, I’ve got them both on my radar. I’ve got a whole network of hitmen. Just say the word and they’ll be on her.” Even though she’s said this line many times before, something about it feels different this time. 

“That bitch has it coming for her,” the younger of the men says angrily. 

She almost lashes out at him. She pushes the words down her throat and wonders what has come over her. She never gets attached to her victims, never defends them, never feels anything for them. While she is trying to wrap her head around her own emotions, the older and younger man laugh sickly at the fate that awaits their target. The younger man’s words penetrate her temporary fog.

“Therese will never know what hit her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on what's going on here? 
> 
> Hopefully this isn't too much smut, I promise the next chapter will have more substance. 
> 
> I'll have an update by the end of next week, hopefully sooner. Hang in there with me, folks!


	22. What I Might Do To You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ligeria is the wonderful grammar queen that I have always needed in my life. Super thanks to her for being fantastic.*
> 
> Here you have it, folks! In my opinion (feel free to disagree) this is the hottest smut I've ever written. I spent a whole day writing only this chapter and had to take a good bit of breaks because things got HAWT. 
> 
> Definitely let me know what you think, please. You're all wonderful and amazing and your comments mean the most to me. I so look forward to them. 
> 
> And Miss K, you owe me some compliments ;)
> 
> Edit: Miss_K for real did give me the inspiration for the hawtness that ensues below. So thank you, K. I suppose you're alright ;)

In the car, Therese and Carol were quiet. Walking out of the hotel and back into the world had put them both in a somber mood. Out of the corner of her eye, Carol caught Therese bouncing her leg.

  
“You’re nervous,” she stated.

  
“A little.” Therese paused, then opened her mouth as if to say something else, but she stopped. Of course, Carol wouldn’t let it go that easily.

  
“What were you going to say?”

  
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Therese said, picking at her nails.

  
Carol quickly turned to her, her face serious. “Tell me, Therese.”

  
“I’m just worried. I mean, do you really think you should be involved in this? With Rindy and your company and everything?”

  
“Therese, if you think I would leave you to be by yourself right now, you’ve lost it.” She concentrated on driving, periodically stealing quick glances at Therese as she was speaking. “Of course I’m worried. I have no clue what’s going on or how serious this may or may not be. But that doesn’t dissuade me from being with you.” Keeping one hand on the wheel, she reached over to squeeze one of Therese’s hands. “I love you, Therese.”

  
“I love you too, but if anything happened to you or Rindy, I would never forgive myself,” Therese said, looking down at her feet.

  
“I know, darling. I know. We’ll just … we’ll just be careful for right now, okay?” Therese shook her head in response, feeling a growing sense of dread as they neared the courthouse.

  
“Can you take me to the shelter after this?” Therese asked as Carol parked the car. She noticed Carol’s skeptical look and added, “I didn’t schedule Genevieve today – she won’t be there.”

  
Carol sighed and cut off the car. “I’d really rather you didn’t go there, Therese. But if you must, I can take you.”

  
***************  
Walking into the courthouse, Therese was stunned for seemingly the millionth time by Carol’s beauty. With a bare face and the same clothes she had worn yesterday, Carol still possessed an air of regality that made Therese feel at ease.

  
Carol was a soothing presence by Therese’s side as the younger woman filled out the necessary documents for a temporary restraining order. Going through the process and speaking to the clerk, they both became wary about how much this process would actually help, if at all. Therese was already dreading the hearing that would take place in 10-15 days. However, it calmed her slightly that Richard would know that she was on to him.

  
Making their way back to the car, Therese abruptly stopped walking. Carol turned to see her standing. “This isn’t going to help anything. Is it?” she asked. To Carol, it looked as if she directed the question at herself. She frowned, thinking to herself before she responded to Therese, who was obviously feeling hopeless.

  
“Honestly? I don’t know. But Richard will be notified, and maybe that will be enough for him to stop with whatever game he’s playing at.”

  
“Maybe,” Therese muttered, continuing to walk. “Fucking Richard,” she said with an annoyed eye roll.  
***************  
“Call me when you leave. I’ll come visit you tonight,” Carol said as she dropped Therese off. Even though they had decided in the car that Carol would go to her office to get a few things done while Therese was in the shelter, Therese still felt as if she had been suddenly ripped away from her lifeline as she walked away from the car. But walking into the shelter made her feel like she was home again. Dannie popped his head out of her office, looking surprised and skeptical. “Therese? I thought you were sick? Are you okay?”

  
Therese had texted him in a haze last night that she wouldn’t be in today because she wasn’t feeling well. She felt incredibly guilty seeing how concerned Dannie was. “Yeah, listen, I’ve got to talk to-” She stopped mid sentence with the appearance of Genevieve from around the corner.

  
Now Therese was the one looking confused. “Oh, hi. Umm, I thought that, uh,” she stuttered feeling a growing sense of dread.

  
Dannie cut in. “Oh yeah, I asked Gen to come in. I thought it might be a good time to train her on a few things since you were out and we needed a bit more help here anyway.” When Therese didn’t say anything, he added, “I hope that’s okay?”

  
“Oh, yeah. No yeah, that’s totally fine,” Therese said, stumbling over the words.

  
“Therese, are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look so hot,” Dannie said.

  
“Yeah, I just need to talk to you in my office for a few minutes about that fundraiser that’s happening in a few weeks. One of our sponsors had to bow out.” She didn’t look at Genevieve, but she could tell that the woman was watching her carefully. She walked past her to her office, following Dannie, and closed the door behind her.

  
“Therese? What the fuck is going on?” he said as soon as she shut the door. He had spent enough time with Therese to recognize her behavior as extremely unusual.

  
“Dannie, I need you to be quiet.” He furrowed his brows, and she tried to clarify.“No, I mean like lower your voice.” When his quizzical look did not go away she began to explain what had happened the day before. After Therese told him what she had overheard Genevieve saying, Danny stopped her.

  
“That Genevieve?” he said, pointing towards the door. “No fucking way,” he said, jumping up from the couch and making his way to the door.

  
Therese quickly jumped in front of the door. “No, no, no. Dannie, you can’t go out there.” It was getting harder to whisper in the midst of such a heated moment, but she continued, “You can’t talk to her about this.”

  
Dannie tried to gently push her to the side, but she stayed in place. “Why the fuck not, Therese? Are you out of your mind?”

  
Her voice was a combination of whispering and yelling as she said, “Maybe so! But we don’t know what the fuck is going on or who she is involved with. So I don’t think you should go out there and jump in the middle of it. What if she has a fucking gun, for God’s sake?”

  
Dannie backed away from her and brought his hands to his face, running them downwards, visibly trying to clear his mind. He shook his head up and down. “So what do we do?”

  
Therese shrugged. “I don’t know, Dannie. I guess we just play it cool. I mean, when Richard gets the restraining order, he’ll know that we’re on to him. So maybe it’ll stop after that.”

  
“You mean we’re just going to wait for this to blow up?”

  
“Dannie, we’re just going to give it a few days. Richard will get the restraining order, and maybe she’ll quit or something.”

  
“And if she doesn’t? Then what, Therese?”

  
“I don’t have the answers, Dannie. I know as much as I’ve told you. Do you think I’m not fucking scared? But what other choice do I have?”

  
“I know, I know. I’m sorry, I just … This is so fucking crazy,” Dannie said, running his hands through his hair.

  
***************  
Dannie and Therese had agreed to play it cool around Genevieve, or at least as cool as they could. Dannie would be mindful and watch for signs, as would Therese. She had gotten Evelyn and Rosco out of their kennels to take them out for some play time. As she threw a tennis ball for Evelyn while Rosco sat by her side, she felt a presence behind her. She turned to see Genevieve walking towards her.

  
Genevieve waved. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you!” she yelled out to Therese. Therese could see Dannie at the back door of the dog kennels, watching carefully. She waved to Dannie to let Genevieve know that they had an observer in case she was trying something. “Just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving for the day.”

  
“Oh, okay. Thanks,” Therese said, as she took the ball from Evelyn.

  
“Therese?”

  
Therese’s arm stopped mid-throw. She turned to face Genevieve. “Yes?” She tried to keep her voice strong. She didn’t want to show Genevieve that she was afraid.

  
“Dannie told me that you were sick earlier, but if you’re feeling better now, I was wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner with me tonight?”

  
Therese’s brain raced a mile a minute, trying to figure out what Genevieve was up to by asking her out.

  
***************  
Genevieve immediately cursed herself for asking Therese out. _What a stupid fucking move,_ she thought to herself.

  
“Oh, thanks but I have a-” Therese started, but Genevieve cut her off.

  
“As like a friend thing, I meant.” _God, can I make this any worse?_

  
“Oh.” Therese paused. “I would, but I have plans tonight. Maybe another time?”

  
“No yeah, sure, that would be great.”

  
_What the fuck am I doing? I have one job, and this is most definitely not part of it._

  
Genevieve walked to her car. She got in and closed her eyes, just sitting in the silence. She felt overwhelmingly tired. Last night, she hadn’t been able to sleep after her conversation with Richard and Harge. Genevieve had been in this business for years, always following someone and putting her team of hit men on them. But the difference was that most of those people deserved it. Most would not be missed. Therese, on the other hand, was far from deserving the fate she had coming to her. Plus there was a whole different issue: the butterflies that Genevieve got whenever she was around Therese, how she found herself smiling when she thought of her, even though they had only briefly met.

  
There’s no way I can go through with this, she thought. She knew she had to tell Therese, no matter what it would cost her.

  
***************  
Therese had decided against calling Carol when she left. She wanted to surprise her at her office. She plugged in ‘C.R. Consulting Group’ into the GPS and followed the route to the center of the city. She parked on the street outside of a modern office building. Opening the door, she was taken back by how sleek and elegant the place was. As if it would be anything else, she thought to herself.

  
She walked towards a simple white reception desk with the letters ‘C.R.C.G.’ on the front.

  
“Can I help you, dear?” said the receptionist.

  
“Yes, I was hoping to see Carol. I don’t have an appointment or anything.” She suddenly felt stupid for coming here. She had no idea how corporate feeling this would be.

  
“Sure, may I ask your name?”

  
“Yeah, Therese Belivet.”

  
“Give me one second, Miss Belivet, let me call up and see if she’s available.” The young woman dialed a number. “Hey, Jeanette, it’s Kat. I have Therese Belivet down here. She’s here to see Carol.” She laughed at something Jeanette said. “I’ll let her know. She’ll be up shortly.”

  
The receptionist pointed towards the elevator and instructed Therese to go up to the 4th floor. She said that a very excited Jeanette would be waiting for her.

  
Stepping off of the elevator, Therese met Jeanette, who greeted her warmly. “I’m so excited to see you, I didn’t think Carol would ever bring you around!”

  
Therese smiled shyly. “She didn’t really bring me around – I’m kind of here to surprise her.”

  
“That’s so sweet! She’ll love that!” Therese wondered how this woman had the energy to be so friendly, but she appreciated it nonetheless. She walked with her through the gorgeous building. Therese looked around and took in bits and pieces of the space in front of her. Sleek office furniture was all over the place, as well as couches and sofas spread out sporadically. People were sitting on couches, collaborating and talking animatedly, and Therese could tell that it was a wonderful place to work.

  
They walked on, Jeanette chatting all the while. They turned a corner, and Therese could see Carol in an office across the room. The glass wall that separated Carol’s office from the rest of the space was massive. Her door was open, and she looked hard at work, tapping away at her computer. Therese noticed how she seemed to fit in perfectly with the furnishings around her. Carol was so focused that she didn’t see Jeanette and Therese as they neared. Jeanette tapped lightly on the open glass door as they stepped into her office.

  
“I’ve brought you a little something,” said Jeanette and Carol could hear the smile in her voice.

  
Carol turned from her desk to see Therese and she smiled beautifully. “This is the best gift you’ve brought me yet, Jeanette.” She winked and Therese smiled awkwardly as she fidgeted nervously with her hands.

  
“I’ll leave you two alone. Would you like the glass opaque, Carol?”

  
“Yes, please. Thank you, Jeanette.”

  
As Jeanette made her way out of the room, she tapped a black box against the wall and the glass wall suddenly went opaque.

  
“Okay, that is fucking amazing,” Therese marveled.

  
Carol laughed and stood up from her desk. She walked around so that she was in front of the desk, and leaned back against it. She must have gone home to take a shower as her hair and makeup were done, and she was wearing a white suit. She looked polished, professional, and crushingly beautiful at once.

  
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Belivet?”

  
“The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Aird. Nonetheless, I just wanted to surprise you,” Therese said, walking towards Carol. She felt suddenly intimidated by her and stopped short, keeping a bit of distance between them. “Nice office, by the way.” The two laughed.

  
“How was work?” Carol said, turning her head. Therese felt the heat rising up her body. _Damn this woman looks good,_ she thought.

  
“It went well. Dannie is up to speed and I have no events to report. Although, Genevieve did ask me to go to dinner with her.”

  
At once, Carol’s demeanor changed. “Did she?” she asked tersely.

  
“She did.” Therese paused, and smiled. “I said yes – I figured it couldn’t hurt anything.” Immediately after she said it and observed Carol’s, she realized the bad taste of her joke. Carol looked royally pissed.

  
“You’re not serious.” Carol straightened up so that she wasn’t leaning against the desk. Given her heels, she was towering over Therese and the younger woman felt afraid.

  
“I … It was a joke. I said no.” Therese stuttered. “I’m sorry, it was a stupid joke, I know.”

  
Carol stood looking at her, still looking incredibly angry.

  
“How about that wall, though?” Therese said in an attempt to lighten the mood. The attempt fell flat on Carol and she remained silent. “Carol, you’re scaring me,” she said quietly, looking into the older woman’s eyes, begging her to speak.

  
“Am I?” she said after a moment, her voice soft but steely.

  
“Yes.”

  
Carol stepped towards her until their bodies touched. Therese was frightened to be so close to someone whose eyes portrayed such anger. “Are you afraid of what I might do to you?” Cold chills ran down Therese’s body. She shook her head up and down, looking up at Carol. “Would you like to find out?” Therese felt a sudden wetness evolving from her center that she didn’t expect. Her body was reacting to Carol before her mind could.

  
Therese shook her head again and whispered,“Yes.”

  
Carol moved from Therese and walked behind her. “Stay facing forward,” she commanded, and Therese stayed in place. Carol placed her hands on her hips from behind her and pushed her forward, walking them to the desk. Once they had gotten close to the desk, Carol stopped her. She reached down to unbutton Therese’s jeans and quickly slid her hand down Therese’s panties.

  
Therese sharply inhaled, obviously surprised by the quickness of Carol’s movements “Carol, the wall,” she managed to get out.

  
“It’s a privacy wall; they can’t see in,” Carol replied, the roughness still in her voice. Carol was circling a finger around her clit, causing Therese’s legs to shake. “Tell me if you want me to stop, Therese,” she said, her tone more gentle.

  
“No, I don’t want you to stop,” Therese said, her voice mingled with a moan.

  
“Good,” Carol said, and Therese could hear the roughness coming back into her voice. “Here’s what we’re going to do.” She licked up the length of Therese’s neck, then tugged the tender skin with her teeth. Therese gasped, reaching for Carol’s hand around her waist to keep her steady. “I’m going to bend you over this desk, and I’m going to fuck you hard until you cum all over my hand.” Therese’s body was on fire. She was turned on to the point of delirium, her cunt aching from desire. “Do you understand?” Carol’s tone was sensuous and serious.

  
“Yes,” Therese said breathlessly.

  
Carol slowly pulled her hand from Therese’s soaked cunt and slid her pants and panties down in one swift motion. When Therese had stepped out of them, she pushed them to the side with a heeled foot. She pushed against Therese’s back to gently lower her onto the surface of the desk. Therese felt momentarily self conscious, her ass clearly on display. As if Carol could read her mind, she bent over Therese and whispered in her ear, while moving her fingertips over Therese’s ass. “Mmmmm, this ass,” she purred. “This ass is mine, Therese,” she said, accompanying her words with a gentle slap on the soft skin. Therese jumped slightly, astonished by the gesture. But she couldn’t deny that it had only flamed the fire. “Do you understand, baby?”

  
“Yes,” Therese whispered. By now, she felt crazed with the desire to feel Carol’s hands on her. This side of Carol, dominant and jealous, was sexy beyond belief.

  
“Spread your legs,” Carol instructed her as she pulled her shirt up to kiss up her back, gently biting her and drawing whimpers from the younger woman at intervals that were impossible for Therese to anticipate.

  
Carol moved one of her hands to Therese’s cunt. She entered her quickly with two fingers. Therese immediately moaned and Carol leaned back down on her and moved her hand up to cover her mouth. “You have to be quiet, baby,” she whispered. Therese started to move her hips back and forth against Carol’s hand. “Stay still, darling” Carol demanded. “I want you to feel my fingers moving in and out of you.” Therese complied, doing everything she could to keep her body still.  
Carol moved her fingers expertly in Therese’s depths, leaving the younger woman panting and biting her hand so that she didn’t scream out. She momentarily slowed her movements, and pulled her fingers from Therese’s cunt. Therese whimpered as Carol moved three fingers up and down her slit, coating them with Therese’s essence. This time, she entered Therese slowly with three fingers.

“Oh fuck,” Therese whispered, feeling the fullness. She was sore from this morning, and the combination of pleasure and pain left her trembling.

  
“Can you take this, baby?” Carol asked, her voice low and sensuous in Therese’s ear.

  
“Yes,” Therese said through a moan.

  
“Good girl. Spread your legs wider. I’m going to make you cum.”

  
Therese did as she was told. With her legs spread wide, Carol’s speed increased. Therese could hear the sound of Carol’s coated fingers moving in and out of her. She could feel her wetness dripping down her leg. She felt completely drunk from pleasure and gripped the desk to the point of turning her knuckles white.

  
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she whispered. Carol could feel her walls clenching and could feel her body shaking all over. She waited until There was right at the edge, then said, “Cum, Therese.”

  
Almost on cue, Therese’s body responded to Carol’s words. Her legs shook viciously as she was overcome by the ecstacy of the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced. Carol kissed sweetly down her spine, and the sensitivity of her skin to Carol’s lips prolonged her bliss. Carol’s movements slowed as Therese came down from the throes of Carol’s pleasuring her.

  
Carol brought her fingers from Therese’s cunt and softly stroked the inside of her thighs. Therese lay heaving against the desk, feeling like she was on another planet. “Carol … fuck,” she whispered.

  
She felt Carol’s lips on her back once more, kissing up her spine to her neck. She whispered in her ear, “Was that too much, baby?”

  
Therese giggled. “Fuck no.” She attempted to lift herself from the desk, but with the weakened state of her body, Carol helped her. Standing upright, she wrapped her arms around Carol’s neck. Carol could feel her swaying, her legs weak. “You’re so fucking sexy, Carol.”

  
Their mouths came together through a grin.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave comments about your thoughts, they're greatly appreciated (and much needed)!


End file.
